A shocking surface used for an English County Championship match by hosts Somerset against Durham attracted the wrath of England’s former skipper and legendary all-rounder, Ian Botham. Botham took the Somerset County Cricket Club to task for preparing an ‘appalling’ pitch that played all sorts of tricks in an extraordinary two-day match up at Taunton. The great was left fuming over his old club after 35 wickets fell over just five sessions of play held at the Cooper Associates Ground, 22 of which went to the spinners, as Somerset wrapped up their victory by five wickets. Amidst talks of selectors and team management ignoring form and performances in the County Championship, the former Somerset stalwart cited the strange scenes in Taunton to back the decisions made by England’s cricket director, Rob Key, and Test skipper Ben Stokes in recent times. “As an ex-Somerset player, I find this appalling,” Botham tweeted with the pictures of a surface that looked underprepared and doctored to suit Somerset’s attack, with a few brown patches and loads of grass elsewhere. “At a time when county cricket is under pressure for relevance as a breeding ground for international players and Somerset members have apparently voted for the status quo, the club produces this pitch. These are not first-class cricket conditions in mid-summer.” Before a ball is bowled… As an ex Somerset player I find this appalling… at a time when County Cricket is under pressure for relevance as a breeding ground for International Players and Somerset members have apparently voted for the status quo, the club produces this pitch.… pic.twitter.com/qAU0CJbPlf — BeefyBotham (@BeefyBotham) July 23, 2025 “I am not surprised that Rob and Ben unfortunately, have to disregard county performances in assessing players for Test-quality appearances. Durham raised serious concerns the day before the game started. Change is needed. Both Somerset and Durham have high-quality batsmen. Somerset do not need to do this… reduces the game to a farce, added Botham, who represented Somerset in 176 first-class matches between 1974 and 1986. Opting to bowl first after winning the toss, Somerset unleashed their international seamer Craig Overton on the green carpet rolled out for Durham. Overton went on to take 6 for 23 to help dismiss the opposition for only 145. Tom Lammonby’s critical 89 then became the only half-century of the first-class game, allowing Somerset to post 250 in response. The hosts later used their spin twins Jack Leach (6/63) and Archie Vaughan (4/85) to cut through Durham’s batting line-up again for 190. While Callum Parkinson’s four-fer gave them a scare, Somerset eventually eased to the target of 86 in the final innings at five wickets down. A Telegraph report suggests the surface in Taunton has been rated ‘below average’ by the match referee, Simon Hinks. Somerset could now be handed a penalty, with points deducted from their championship tally.