Championship team of the week: Jennings, Ackermann and Pennington… but who joins them in the XI?

The Cricketer looks at the star performers from the eighth round of the County Championship

Keaton Jennings (Lancashire)

114 v Yorkshire

Keaton Jennings put on a display of textbook red-ball batting in Lancashire’s first innings against Yorkshire to score his first first-class century in over two years. The 30-year-old defended masterfully during his 71-run opening stand with Alex Davies, his partner choosing the bull in a china shop approach with a 57-ball 52. However, while Davies departed in the 19th over, Jennings batted on, putting on a 175-run stand with Luke Wells before being removed by Ben Coad (caught Tom Kohler-Cadmore) for 114 from 260 balls. The former England opener now has 416 runs in nine innings in 2021, including one century and three fifties.

Marcus Harris (Leicestershire)

185 v Middlesex

Australian Test opener Marcus Harris scored his second century in five matches for the Running Foxes to help his side pull off the third-highest successful fourth-innings chase in their history. He scored three in the first innings (trapped lbw by Tom Helm) as Leicestershire posted just 136 runs. However, a 243-run third-wicket partnership with captain Colin Ackermann dragged the home side to within touching distance of their first win of the season. Harris wasn’t able to be there at the end, departing for 185 in the 110th over but his knock will live long in the memory for those in attendance at Grace Road.

Will Rhodes (Warwickshire)

91 & 63 v Nottinghamshire

Prior to Warwickshire’s clash with Nottinghamshire, Will Rhodes had scored 188 runs in six matches. Two half-centuries later, he’s third in his side’s run-scoring charts for the season. His first innings knock was patient, scoring 91 off 189 deliveries, but his second was rapid. The Bears captain posted 63 off 99 balls to set up the platform for Michael Burgess and Danny Briggs to set an ultimately unreachable target.

^{Hashim Amla leads Surrey out at The Oval for the first time}

Hashim Amla (Surrey)

173 v Gloucestershire

In his first match leading Surrey, Hashim Amla produced the mother of all captain’s knocks. Unphased by the quick wickets of Ryan Patel, Jamie Smith and Laurie Evans, Amla batted steadily throughout day one and two, putting on a 104-run stand with Jamie Overton and 61 runs with Sean Abbott before departing with his side 428 for 8. Amla finished with 173 runs from 347 deliveries, his second 100+ knock of the season.

Josh Bohannon (Lancashire)

127 not out v Yorkshire

Another Lancashire player who’s had a long wait between centuries is Josh Bohannon. He scored his first in 2019, an emotional 174 in front of his family against Derbyshire. Two years later, he’s finally bagged his second in an historic Lancashire Roses win.  The 24-year-old top-scored for Lancashire, reaching three figures just after lunch on day three, before declaring on an unbeaten 127 from 277 balls.

Colin Ackermann (Leicestershire)

127 not out v Middlesex

The third club captain in this XI and boy, did Ackermann play a blinder. Partnering Harris in Leicestershire’s second innings, Ackermann scored an unbeaten 126 from 263 balls and deservedly hit the winning runs. However, he also made a telling contribution with the ball, conceding just 17 runs from 14 overs in the first innings and bowling three maidens during his four-over spell in the second.

Adam Wheater (Essex)

81 and 2 catches v Durham

Adam Wheater had a busy three days behind the stumps, not with the gloves (he took two catches) but appealing for the nine successful lbw shouts that went the way of Peter Siddle and co. With the bat, the 31-year-old put on a 125-run sixth-wicket stand with Ryan ten Doeschate before adding a further 53 with Simon Harmer. He scored at a strike rate of 61.36 and put Essex in position to finish the match inside three days.

Dillon Pennington (Worcesteshire)

4-44 & 5-32 v Derbyshire

After taking just four wickets in his previous four matches, Dillon Pennington has a match to remember against Derbyshire, picking up his maiden five-for during his side’s innings and 23-run victory. Taking the early wicket of Brooke Guest in Derbyshire’s second innings, Pennington removed Ben McDermott, Matt Critchley, Ben Aitchison and Sam Conners as their opponents slumped from 71 for 3 to 127 for 9.  

^{Saqib Mahmood bowling against Yorkshire}

Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire)

5-42 vs Yorkshire

Fast bowler Saqib Mahmood described Lancashire’s Roses win as "possibly the best feeling I’ve had on a cricket field" – and it’s no wonder after the individual performance he put in. After playing second fiddle to Tom Bailey in the first innings, Mahmood starred in the second, taking the wickets of Kohler-Cadmore, Will Fraine and Steven Patterson as Yorkshire slipped from 72 for 1 to 92 for 4. He picked up Jordan Thompson and Coad to finish with 5 for 47 – his first five-for of the season.

Jamie Porter (Essex)

3-27 & 4-31 v Durham

Any combination of Jamie Porter, Sam Cook and Peter Siddle could have made it into this XI, with the trio picking up 19 of the 20 Durham wickets to fall at Chester-le-Street. However, on this occasion it’s Porter who makes the cut. The 27-year-old was Essex’s most expensive bowler in the first innings, taking 3 for 27 from 12.4 overs (it’s all relative).  However, in Durham’s second his bowling was tight, removing Cameron Bancroft in the third over before adding David Bedingham, Brydon Carse and Matty Potts to his list of victims in 2021.

Dan Moriarty (Surrey)

6-60 & 2-82 v Gloucestershire

In his first appearance of the season, Dan Moriarty certainly showed Surrey what they had been missing. The 22-year-old, who took 17 wickets at 20.11 in 2020, ripped through Gloucestershire’s middle-order, dismissing Tom Lace, Ryan Higgins, Johnny Tattersall and Tom Smith as the away side collapsed to 113 for 7 before claiming David Payne and Miles Hammond as his fifth and sixth wickets, respectively. He finished the match with 8 for 142 – a real statement of intent for the second half of the red-ball season.