Michael Neser has made a pretty strong case for an Ashes call-up with the ball in England and has now enhanced his chances with the bat.
Cricket: Marnus Labuschagne hit 138 for Glamorgan in County Cricket, making a statement ahead of the Ashes.
Having taken 24 wickets in his eight matches after missing selection in the initial Australian squad for the Ashes, Neser ended his county cricket stint by making 124, slog-sweeping fellow Aussie Steve Smith for six to reach three figures.
It was his Neser’s hit-out for Glamorgan having been called into Australia’s pre-Ashes training camp and he could yet play a role in what looms as a gruelling six-Test schedule across seven weeks, with five Ashes Tests after the World Test Championship final against India.
“He‘s contributed really well with the bat this year for us on top of his outstanding bowling efforts. To top it off with a hundred, I’m delighted for him,” Glamorgan coach Matthew Maynard said of Neser.
Harris also signed off from his stint at Gloucestershire with an unbeaten 122, becoming the first batter for the county in six years ago to carry his bat through a completed first-class innings.
Marcus Harris made a century for Gloucestershire. Picture: Jonathan DiMaggio/Getty Images
His effort came after Marnus Labuschagne made 138 for Glamorgan to take his season haul past 500 runs, with Smith making 89 for Sussex also as the Australians headed to training camp with runs under their belt.
The delight also came as England fast bowler Ollie Robinson was sent for scans after injuring his ankle playing for Sussex, further adding to the home team’s bowling woes with Jofra Archer ruled out and veteran Jimmy Anderson trying to overcome a groin injury.
“He‘s got a sore ankle and he’ll be scanned on Monday to see how bad it is,“ Sussex coach Paul Farbrace said of Robinson.
Marnus Labuschagne made a century for Glamorgan. Picture: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
“We knew it was sore yesterday and that’s why we got one spell out of him this morning. Once he was off that was it for the day.
“It was precautionary, there was no point in making it worse. We knew that he was sore. It‘s walking more than anything, it’s not actually the running part that makes him sore. It’s a joint decision between our medical team and the England medical team, we’ve got a good relationship. It’s the right thing to do, we need to find out and Oliver wants to find out what’s going on with the ankle and why it’s so sore.”
Anderson ruled himself out of England’s upcoming Test against Ireland in a bid to be fit for the Ashes.