Essex 314 for 3 (Khushi 107, Browne 94*) path Durham 358 by 44 runs
Replying to the house aspect’s 358, the First Division leaders have been 314 for 3 on the shut, leaving their aspect simply 44 runs in arrears and maybe laying the foundations for Essex’s third victory in 4 matches this season.
Durham’s batters may have one thing to say about that, in fact, on prime of which this Riverside pitch continues to be good for batting and the climate forecast for Sunday is grim. However nothing ought to detract from the standard of Khushi’s chanceless century, the second of his profession and his first since he reached three figures at Canterbury in 2022.
And even when the 24-year-old had been dismissed by Callum Parkinson for 107, Browne shared an unbroken stand of 54 with Jordan Cox to depart his aspect nicely positioned to take a first-innings lead.
The primary wicket to fall within the morning session was that of the nightwatcher, Sam Prepare dinner, who was bowled by Paul Coughlin for 25 within the nineteenth over of the innings. By then, nonetheless, the stand-in Essex skipper had helped Dean Elgar placed on 64 for the primary wicket, a partnership which eliminated a lot of the shine from the brand new ball.
5 minutes earlier than lunch, nonetheless, Durham took the wicket they most wished when Elgar’s free drive outdoors the off stump to a ball from Matthew Potts edged a catch to Ollie Robinson. The opener’s dismissal for 46 left his aspect on 97 for two at lunch however Potts may replicate that he had been unlucky to not get an lbw resolution towards the South African within the first half-hour of play, a interval by which Ben Raine had additionally had two assured leg earlier than appeals towards Elgar turned down.
Within the afternoon session, Khushi and Browne rigorously consolidated their aspect’s place with Khushi being particularly fast to grab on something free, driving and pulling Brydon Carse to the boundary within the house of three balls. He reached his fifty off 102 balls when he off-drove Parkinson to the boundary and celebrated the achievement two deliveries later with a straight drive for 4.
The hundred partnership was put up in lower than two hours and maybe essentially the most noticeable characteristic of the afternoon session was the benefit with which the pair handled Durham’s six-man assault on an excellent batting pitch. Off-spinner Colin Ackermann bowled the final over earlier than tea, at which level Essex have been 220 for two, with Khushi on 88 and Browne unbeaten on 46.
The night session continued very like the afternoon’s. Carse overpitched within the first over after the resumption and Khushi clipped him by way of midwicket for 4 to get into the nineties. A look to advantageous leg two overs later and then a punch by way of midwicket off Ackermann took him to his hundred off 156 balls. He had batted 203 minutes and hit 16 fours.
Ten minutes later, Browne reached his fifty off 143 balls by way of a slice of fine fortune when an tried off-drive to a ball from Ackermann solely produced an edge between Robinson and first slip Coughlin. Liberated by that achievement, Browne took two successive fours off Ackermann however three overs later, Khushi drove Parkinson straight to Graham Clark at shortish additional cowl and departed.
Browne and new accomplice Cox quickly needed to face the problem of the brand new ball however they did so with little fuss.
