Published: Sep 26, 2015, 05:06 AM (IST)
Edited: Sep 26, 2015, 05:15 AM (IST)
Former South Africa cricketer Ashwell Prince bid goodbye to all forms of cricket as the County Championship Division Two 2015 match between Essex and Lancashire ended in a draw at the County Ground in Chelmsford on Friday. The draw resulted in Lancashire finishing on the second position on the points table, and getting promoted to Division One along with champions Surrey. Prince struck 51 in his final innings as Lancashire finished on 310 compared to Essex’s total of 394. Essex chose to opt for a steady approach in their second innings instead of setting a target after an early spate of dismissals, earning 12 points as compared to their opponents’ 11 to finish third in the table.
Prince shared an 81-run stand for the third wicket with Luis Reece, registering eight fours and a six in his name during the 38-ball fast-paced innings, before serving Ravi Bopara a catch off the bowling of Graham Napier. Lancashire were cruising at a score of 269 for three and were favourites to conquer Essex’s total with ease when Bopara, along with Aron Nijjar caused a middle and lower-order collapse, ultimately bundling them out 84 runs short of Essex’s score.
Nick Browne (4) and Alastair Cook (6) were dismissed for single-digit scores as Essex were off to a shaky start during their second innings, before Ravi Bopara (52 not out) along with Jesse Ryder (38 not out) and Tom Westley (34) helped secure a tame draw. Earlier in the match, James Anderson recorded figures of 7 for 77 to cause majority of the mayhem during Essex’s first innings.
Hope I’ve not left anyone out, probably will do. Been an unbelievable journey!!! Can’t thank everyone enough. pic.twitter.com/Ck1XJ3T6eG
— Ashwell Prince (@ashyp_5) September 22, 2015
Prince took to his Twitter account to express his gratitude towards teammates and other members and officials of the Lancashire County Cricket Club, aside from his fans and family members. The top-order batsman played 66 Tests and 52 One-Day Internationals (ODI) in a career spanning nearly a decade for South Africa, before turning towards English domestic cricket. READ: Ashwell Prince, the tenacious Protea, calls it a day
Brief scores:
Essex 394 (Ravi Bopara 99, Jesse Ryder 116, Ryan ten Doeschate 59; James Anderson 7 for 77) and 138 for 3 (Ravi Bopara 52*, Jesse Ryder 38*) drew with Lancashire 310 (Haseeb Hameed 63, Luis Reece 82, Ashwell Prince 51; Ravi Bopara 3 for 40).
