Jordan Cox retires hurt for Essex to put England Test spot in doubt

Jordan Cox was forced to retire hurt immediately after scoring a century for Essex against Somerset, raising doubts over his place in England’s Test squad.

Cox missed out on a debut in New Zealand before Christmas after breaking his thumb in the nets and will now be hoping he is not forced out of the clash against Zimbabwe at the end of the month.

He fell to the ground clutching his left side after reaching 99 with a quick single and left the field in pain after reaching his hundred. He did not appear in the field and England will likely be assessing potential replacements, such as Durham’s Ben McKinney, as they await news.

His untimely departure could also prove harmful for Essex, with every run counting at Taunton. Somerset ended day three on 216 for six – needing 105 more for victory.

“Jordan has a problem with his side, which our medical staff are in the process of assessing,” said Essex captain Tom Westley.

“Unfortunately, because it is a Sunday it has not been possible to get the injury scanned. Hopefully, that will happen as soon as possible and we will know a lot more then. He played a tremendous innings and it was a shame he was not able to go on.”

At Headingley, the returns of Joe Root and Harry Brook were not enough to spare an out-of-sorts Yorkshire a five-wicket defeat by Warwickshire.

The Bears chased down a target of 185 with composure, Zen Malik chiming in with 49 not out on his first-class debut and Ed Barnard making a quick-fire 37. New Zealand bowler Ben Sears took two wickets but the White Rose never put themselves in position to take all 10. The result lifted Warwickshire to second, while Yorkshire remain on one win from four.

Hampshire enjoyed a profitable batting day against Durham at the Utilita Bowl, with Ben Brown unbeaten on 143.

Matthew Potts, one of England’s Test seamers, grabbed three wickets but with 70s from Nick Gubbins and Felix Organ, it was an arduous stint in the field.

Division Two pace-setters Leicestershire racked up their third victory of the campaign with a clinical bowling performance at Northamptonshire.

After setting the hosts 289 to win, the Foxes took less than 59 overs to roll their opponents over for 156. Left-armer Josh Hull took the first three wickets in a new-ball spell that will have piqued the selectors’ interest on his return to the side.

England leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed claimed the final wicket deep in the evening session, bowling Ben Sanderson.

At Old Trafford, Gloucestershire’s Oliver Price batted through the day to make 253 not out against Lancashire. He hit 30 fours and three sixes in a knock spanning more than nine-and-a-half hours, carrying his side to a hefty 589 for eight – a lead of 139.

There was also a double century for Kent skipper Daniel Bell-Drummond, whose 223 provided the backbone in a second-innings score of 473 against Middlesex.

Pursuing an awkward target of 365 at Lord’s, the hosts reached the close on 81 for three, Joey Evison picking up two wickets.

Glamorgan head into the final day in Cardiff 213 ahead of Derbyshire with five second-innings wickets in hand. Colin Ingram top-scored with 64 but was one of two late strikes by Derbyshire as they finished well to leave all results in play.