Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Ben Coad, full of praise for George Hill.
Ben Coad says George Hill should be considered as Ben Stokes’s replacement in England’s Test team.
All-rounder Hill is enjoying another fine summer, having taken 39 wickets and scored 512 runs in 11 Rothesay County Championship matches.
He has taken six wickets with his seamers in two of his last three Championship appearances, against Hampshire at the Utilita Bowl last month and then against Surrey at The Kia Oval last week.
Hill is the joint fifth leading wicket-taker in the top flight, alongside Sam Cook, who himself is in England’s Test squad to face Pakistan at Edgbaston from Wednesday.
Ahead of Yorkshire’s latest fixture, against Essex at Headingley from tomorrow – starting at 10.30am, Coad said: “I mean, I’ve harped on about it for a while. George should be near England honours.
“There’s no reason why he shouldn’t be talked about for these next Test squads that are coming up.
“He’s that good of a player, but for some reason he keeps getting overlooked.
“He’s just got to do what he’s doing. You just knock on the door for as long as possible and it should open.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. George Hill is enjoying a good season with bat and ball.
“I do feel like there’s a bit of a change in the wind now for England. There was a big focus on pace before. But, as you see with Ollie Robinson, I think he’s averaged eight this summer. There’s going to be gaps there.
“I just don’t see how once Ben Stokes has left, George Hill’s not one of the first people to be talked about as an all-rounder for Test Cricket.”
Coad continued: “Hilly’s just phenomenal.
“It’s the consistency of everything with him. Every time he bowls, you expect wickets, you expect him to go for no runs and get wickets.
“But, yeah, I can’t believe he’s not talked about more in the England circle.”
Coad knows what it is like to perform year in and year out and not get that call. It’s pretty incredible that he has never gained any England recognition throughout a career which has seen him, to date, take 336 first-class wickets at an average of 20.6.
The talk was that Coad was perhaps not quick enough, with Hill, who has already had a taste of England Lions cricket, perhaps unfairly cast in a similar boat by some.
“Look at the bouncer he bowled to Matthew Fisher on the final day last week,” said Coad. “He has got that edge to bowl a quicker ball.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. A century against Essex in victory at York last year for Matthew Revis.
“When he needs to fire it up, he can do.
“But, like I said, it’s not about pace, it’s skill and Ollie Rob’s proven it.
“I’ve been banging my head against the wall about this stuff for a long time, but at least it’s finally getting proven that these kind of bowlers do work in Test Cricket.”
Hill, Coad and fellow seamer Jack White were all excellent in a losing cause against Surrey, especially on day three as they tried to defend 185. As Anthony McGrath said, they will bowl worse than that and win matches.
Coad missed the heart of the season with a torn side but returned to fitness to play in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup. He has since taken nine wickets in his last three Championship matches against Hampshire, Leicestershire and Surrey.
He claimed 17 One-Day Cup wickets – the third best haul in the competition to date – and it’s been an impressive return to fitness for the 32-year-old.
He said: “To be honest, I didn’t feel my best at Surrey, and Hampshire was a tough one for the seamers,” he said. “But twos and threes wickets wise, I can’t really complain.
“I’ve been really happy to be able to bowl 25 overs in a day like I pretty much did at The Oval and to get through the whole of the One-Day Cup.”
Picture by Gareth Copley/Getty Images. Essex opener and former South Africa Test captain Dean Elgar is in the final furlong of his career.
Having been beaten by one wicket down by Surrey on Friday, Yorkshire are quickly back on the horse against Essex. Both sides, unfortunately, are looking over their shoulders at the relegation places having been beaten in the last round.
While Yorkshire were beaten at Surrey in three days, Essex lost to Sussex at Chelmsford in four.
Essex are seventh in the table on 122 points from 11 games, while Yorkshire are eighth on 120.
Second from bottom are Leicestershire with 113. They drew with champions Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge on Saturday and host league leaders Somerset at Grace Road this week.
Hampshire are bottom on 88 points and travel to face Notts’ at Trent Bridge.
Essex are coached by Chris Silverwood and captained by batter Tom Westley.
All-rounder Matt Critchley is the third leading run-scorer in Division One with 838 from 11 matches.
YORKSHIRE v ESSEX – FIRST-CLASS CRICKET 1894 – 2025 – STAT PACK
Results (home and away) County Championship: Played 169; Yorkshire won 86, Essex won 29, Drawn 54 (Abandoned 2).
In addition, the counties have played 2 non-Championship matches, both won by Yorkshire.
At Headingley (all CC): Played 20, Yorkshire won 8, Essex won 3, Drawn 9. (Abandoned 1).
Most recent results: 2025 at Chelmsford drawn; 2025 at York, Yorkshire won by 10 wkts; 2022 at Headingley, Essex won by 1 wkt.
Most successive wins: Yorkshire 7 (1931-4), Essex 3 (1896-7 & 1988-90).
Two wins in a season: Yorkshire 20 times, Essex 2.
Highest innings totals: For Yorkshire, 555-1dec at Leyton in 1932. For Essex, 622-8dec at Headingley in 2005.
Lowest inning totals: For Yorkshire, 31 at Huddersfield in 1935. For Essex, 30 at Leyton 1901.
Highest individual score: For Yorkshire, 313 by H Sutcliffe at Leyton in 1932. For Essex, 219* by DJ Insole at Colchester (Castle Park) in 1949,
Highest partnerships: For Yorkshire, 555 for the first wicket between P Holmes (224*) and H Sutcliffe (313) at Leyton in 1932. (This was a world record for the first wicket at the time). For Essex, 246 for the second wicket between JP Stephenson (116) and PJ Prichard (128) at Colchester (Castle Park) in 1991.
Best bowling figures (innings): For Yorkshire, 9-28 by W Rhodes at Leyton in 1899. For Essex, 8-44 by FG Bull at Bradford in 1896.
Best bowling figures (match): For Yorkshire, 17-91 (8-47 and 9-44) by H Verity at Leyton in 1933. (This is a record for Yorkshire in all first class cricket). For Essex, 14-127 (7-37 and 7-90) by W Mead at Leyton in 1899.
Hat-tricks: For Yorkshire, 3 by A Drake at Huddersfield in 1912, MW Booth at Leyton in 1912 and GA Cope at Colchester (Garrison Ground) in 1970. For Essex, 2 by JWHT Douglas at Leyton in 1905 and MS Nichols at Headingley in 1931.
Most dismissals in an innings by a wicketkeeper: For Yorkshire, 5 by JG Binks (4ct 1st) at Colchester (Castle Park) in 1959 and (5 ct) at Sheffield (BL) in 1969, by DL Bairstow (2ct 3st) at Hull, by JM Bairstow (3ct 2st) at Scarborough in 2010 and (5 ct) at Chelmsford in 2025. For Essex, 6 (all caught) by BJ Hyam at Scarborough in 1998, 5 (all caught) by DE East at Ilford in 1982 and by MS Pepper at York in 2025.
Most dismissals in a match by a wicketkeeper: For Essex, 8 (all caught) by BJ Hyam at Scarborough 1998 and JS Foster at Chelmsford in 2017. No-one has taken more than 6 for Yorkshire.
Most catches in an innings by a fielder: For Yorkshire, 5 by AB Sellers at Leyton in 1933. No-one has taken more than 4 for Essex.
Most catches in a match by a fielder: For Yorkshire, 7 by AB Sellers at Leyton in 1933. No-one has taken more than 5 for Essex.
A hundred runs and 10 wickets in a match: For Essex, MS Nichols 146 and 11-54 (4-17 & 7-37) at Huddersfield in 193 and TE Bailey 60* and 46 and 12-101 (7-40 and 5-61) at Headingley in 1960.
A century and five wickets in an innings in a match: For Yorkshire C White 108* and 0 and 5-40 and 2-28 at Headingley in 1994. For Essex, MS Nichols 146 and 4-17 & 7-37 at Huddersfield in 1935
At Headingley…….
Highest innings totals: Yorkshire 408 in 2004 and 2005, Essex 622-8dec in 2005.
Lowest innings totals: Yorkshire 86 in 1960, Essex 83 in 1992.
Highest individual innings: For Yorkshire, 144* by L Hutton in 1948. For Essex, 188 by A Flower in 2005.
Best bowling figures (innings): For Yorkshire, 8-43 by DB Close in 1960. For Essex, 8-49 by JK Lever in 1981.
Best bowling figures (match): For Yorkshire, 10-78 (4-33 and 6-45) by W Rhodes in 1901. For Essex, 12-101 (7-40 and 5-61) by TE Bailey in 1960.
Compiled by Paul Dyson, Peter Horne and Martyn Webster, members of the Association of Cricket Statisticians & Historians.
