Lancashire have openly expressed that they are unhappy about Liam Livingstone’s dismissal during their T20 Blast semi-final against Somerset. Livingstone was given out lbw while on 29 runs. He quickly requested a review because he thought he had hit the ball. 

After looking at the replays and using UltraEdge, TV umpire Sue Redfern decided there was no contact with the bat. At that point, Lancashire were 102 for 3 and still chasing strongly. After Livingstone’s dismissal, the rest of the team fell and lost seven wickets for just 57 runs.

On top of these hurdles, they’re also suffering performance-wise as six key players are still not back with them. The absentees include Jos Buttler, Phil Salt, Saqib Mahmood, and Luke Wood.

Though frustrated, the team urged the fans to refrain from speaking sexist comments against Redfern. ‘Such behaviour is unacceptable, does not reflect the values of our club or the wider Red Rose family, and has no place in the game,â€?the team said in a statement from their official X account. 

Read more cricket news here

Somerset’s match against Yorkshire in a County Championship Division One cricket match at Taunton ended early after heavy rain forced players off the field. The storm hit in the afternoon, and only 42 overs occurred on the opening day.

Earlier in the day, Yorkshire won the toss and bowled first. George Hill struck twice in the first ten overs. He removed Archie Vaughan for 10 and bowled Tom Lammonby to leave Somerset at 20 for 2.

Tom Kohler-Cadmore led the fightback. He scored 76 runs from 110 balls, hitting 11 fours and two sixes. Meanwhile, James Rew gave steady support with 54 not out. The pair lifted Somerset to 155 for 3.

Jordan Thompson ended Kohler-Cadmore’s innings when he forced an edge to Hill at first slip. Tom Abell joined Rew but added only eight runs before the storm returned and halted play.

Somerset hopes for better weather so they can continue their fight in this crucial match.

Read more cricket news here

Jack Leach took 6 for 63 as Somerset beat Durham by five wickets in just two days at the Cooper Associates County Ground. The left-arm spinner struck fast, with support from Archie Vaughan, who picked up 4 for 85, as Durham were bowled out for 190 in their second innings.

Durham had begun the day at 5 for 2, still 100 runs behind, but Emilio Gay and Ben Raine showed resistance. Leach and Vaughan then tore through the line-up. Leach claimed his second six-wicket haul in a row, while Vaughan maintained pressure with key strikes.

Set just 86 to win, Somerset chased the target in 19.2 overs, but not without a few scares. Callum Parkinson took 4 for 39, and wickets fell fast, leaving Somerset at 58 for 5. But Tom Banton stayed calm, hitting an unbeaten 33 to seal the win.

The match ended swiftly with plenty of overs left in the day, as Somerset closed out a sharp and complete team performance. Leach’s spell turned the game and kept Somerset strong in the Division One race.

Get the latest cricket news here

In the Rothesay County Championship, the bottom performers of Division 1 will be relegated to Division 2, while Division 2’s top performers will be promoted to Division 1. As of writing, Somerset and Worcestershire are at the bottom of the table. Because of that, fans are asking: Are they going to be relegated?

Worcestershire is the highly likely team to be relegated

Currently, Worcestershire is the lowest-performing cricket team in the Rothesay County Championshipsâ€?Division 1. Their statistics sit at three losses out of four games played—the other is a draw. If this continues, Worcestershire will be relegated to Division 2. 

They only have ten more games left out of 12, so more losses mean fewer chances of standing back up. Their championship points are currently at 18, which makes them the only team with fewer than 20 points. 

Somerset can still catch up

Just on top of Worcestershire is Somerset. They are the second-lowest-ranking cricket team in the championship table. However, their two draws created a slight edge over the current bottom. As of writing, they are at two losses and two draws out of four games played. 

Like Worcestershire, Somerset also has ten remaining games. With their current performance, the results aren’t clear. Moreover, if they get more wins, they can catch up to Yorkshire in the rankings. They are also way above Worcestershire because of the 33 points they secured.

Straight wins and draws will help them up

If the two of them secure wins and draws, it will greatly increase their chances of moving up the ranks. These two teams did great during the 2024 County Championship Division 1, ending in third (Somerset) and sixth (Worcestershire) places. This means that they have the potential to climb up the ranks again this year. 

Yorkshire and Hampshire might also be in danger

Even though these two teams are above Somerset and Worcestershire, they are still in danger of relegation. Yorkshire has 40 points while Hampshire has 43—just around 10 points away from Somerset. 

Their performances are not as terrific as well, with each only securing one win. However, their edge over the bottom two can’t be ignored. Yorkshire and Hampshire have only played three games so far, meaning if they win their next matches, they can leave Somerset and Worcestershire behind. 

Will the two bottom teams be relegated?

The County Championship Division began earlier this year, so predicting the relegation of the two teams can be difficult. However, by looking at the current table, we can see that they are the likely teams to be dropped to Division 2. 

Both teams have 10 games left, and they must win most of those to stay in Division 1.

Check for more cricket updates here