Surrey vs Leicestershire LV=County Championship

SURREY HAVE NAMED A TWELVE MAN SQUAD FOR THE LV=COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH AGAINST LEICESTERSHIRE STARTING AT THE KIA OVAL ON SUNDAY.
Chris Tremlett is named in the squad for the first time this season having recovered from the hamstring strain which saw him miss the first two Championship games.
Jade Dernbach is unavailable for selection due to the side injury he sustained against Essex which will keep him out of action for a period of time.
The Surrey squad to play Essex at the Kia Oval in the LV=County Championship on Sunday May 10th, Monday May 11th, Tuesday May 12th and Wednesday May 13th:
Gareth Batty (capt)
Zafar Ansari
Rory Burns
Tom Curran
Steven Davies
Matthew Dunn
Stuart Meaker
Kevin Pietersen
Jason Roy
Kumar Sangakkara
Chris Tremlett
Gary Wilson
meaker or curran toss of a coin?

Thanks as ever for the thread, JimBob.

As Batty is in the squad, assume he is now fit and will play after suffering a strain in the Essex game (the club have not actually confirmed this).

Anyway, subject to that, I would guess Curran will miss out. Mighty hard to call though. As well as him and Meaker as you say, Dunn's place has to be in some doubt.

Thanks Jimbob.  I would think that Curran the most likely to miss out, or maybe Dunn.

Still no meaker....

At the ground. Olly's surprise about Meaker generally shared here. Tremlett and Dunn there or thereabouts in the first 4 overs but it looks a good batting day. Back lunchtime.

3 wickets picked up in a solid morning session

Lunch. 123/3. The number in the wickets column makes it (narrowly) our morning in decent batting conditions. However, it didn't seem that would be my verdict 30 mins ago. Late morning wickets by Curran and Dunn tilt things Surrey's way courtesy of good low catches from Roy and Wilson respectively. Earlier a really fast one from Dunn sent Robson's off stump cartwheeling (believe you can see that on twitter). Hill has dug in well for Leics and punished the bad stuff to get to a deserved unbeaten 50 (? On CC debut, I think).

Batty hasn't bowled whilst all the other bowlers have had 2 spells. Makes me again queston the skipper's fitness for this match.

Couple more wickets for Curran in the first hour after luncheon

Olly wrote:Couple more wickets for Curran in the first hour after luncheon

Then the usual big partnership with a new kid getting a hundred!

Just before tea. 291/8.

Similar session to the first. Leics were on top for much of the time but the wickets we sandwiched in at the start and end of the session leave Surrey on top.

4 wickets for Dunn and 3 for Curran. The former has been more convincing generating real pace and perhaps unlucky to have more than one confident lbw shout turned down. Tremlett deserves a wicket, bowling tidily and allowing others to attack.

For Leics, a skillful and intelligent century from Hill whilst Raine is currently playing the recurring role in Surrey sop operas of "annoying tailender". We need him back in the hutch soon.

Tremlett picks up Raine after tea - good performance so far

tremlett again 292 all out now our turn 600+ would be handy

And tremlett picks up the final wicket also to have Leicestershire all out for under 300 just after tea.

Excellent effort by the bowlers

Olly - tea delayed. Taken at end of Leics' knock. Great to skittle a tail!

Dunn and Tremlett easily the pick of the bowlers.

51-2 in reply - both openers out for 15. Decent batting conditions?

Yes, decent batting condions, KingDave. Late afternoon sun is out and clouds are v high. Could be even more tricky - Pietersen just survived a strong appeal for caught behind. Definitely a noise but maybe the pad.

Raine and now also Taylor bowling well concentrating around off stump. Sanga looks well in charge though. Off home now for Mrs Bat's roast beef. 65/2, 10 overs left today.

stumps 105 for 2 not a bad first day that

Excellent first days work - a shame to lose both third degree and #ansariforengland but KP and the G.O.A.T have steadied the ship well

Brilliant day! Sunshine, virtually 400 runs including a maiden century, 12 wickets and us on top.

Dunn has taken the Surrey headlines with his fourfer. That's understandable and his pace at times was destructive. However, a lot of credit should also go to Tremlett. He consistently kept things tight and applied pressure at the other end, allowing others the freedom to attack and thoroughly deserving his brace as the Leics innings folded. Three wickets for Curran but I wasn't so impressed - a few too many loose deliveries and two of his wickets seemed mainly due to a lapse in concentration on the part of the batsmen.

Some good fielding by Surrey. All seven chances held and shared between keeper Wison and slips Roy and Sanga. None were out of this world but 3 or 4 definitely weren't sitters. In addition decent groundwork, Ansari as usual catching the eye with Pietersen seeming enthusiastic and keen to be involved.

Very fine century from Hill in only his second game. Dug in at the start after the early loss of his opening partner Robson and then went on to impose himself, regularly being severe on anything short or wide. Useful late order runs from Raine as well although he rather gave his wicket away on the edge of what would have been tea (his wicket, the ninth, allowed play to continue and Trem soon took the tenth).

Ansari and Burns helped take some of the shine off the new ball but neither stayed long enough to prosper. Both fell to Raine who looked a fair bit quicker than I remembered him. However, that only paved the way for Sanga and Pietersen. They both resume in the morning on 35.

Worth emphasising that today was anything but a slow day and things really moved on. From here I would already expect a positive result. In my book, we are in the stronger position and so favourites for that win. However, bear in mind that a couple of wickets in the first half hour tomorrow will considerably change the odds.

Sounds like an entertaining day's play. With Leics scoring at such a cracking pace, it's just as well that we managed to dispose of the tail without the usual problems.  We certainly have the batting to take a solid first innings lead.

Just to add - for those who know the ground, the wicket is very much towards the Archbishop Tenison School and consequently there is a shortish boundary on that side. If Sanga and/or Pietersen get going tomorrow, that could add to the fun.

The imbalance was more noticeable today on the other side with a couple of all run fours when the ball didn't quite reach the ropes in front of the Gasometer.

Cracking report Guildford!
Great start to Day 2..............still need 24 to avoid the follow on!!

Ok, so with two quick wickets lost early on Day 2, now's the time for one (preferably both) of the batsmen now at the crease to prove their England aspirations are well founded. They have time, a decent surface and - with the greatest respect to Leics - are facing the kind of attack against which players aiming for the highest level should hope to build an innings.

Fingers crossed neither - or both - of them hasn't got out to a daft shot in the time it's taken me to write this.

Hundred for Kevin Pietersen, after all those in between scores, he has a ton at last!.
Perhaps one of his last major knocks in FC cricket, with Strauss-Cook in charge, England may not want him regardless of whatever he might do with the bat.......

Congrats to Pietersen on what may well be his last CC hundred. Though I have to say his career would deserve to end with a ton against a team better than Leicestershire - who have not won a CC match for over two years I believe.

Harold falls for 18.  241 - 6.  Deficit still 51 - so a real chance that we may concede a first innings lead.  Apart from KP ( ) our batsmen have really struggled to build an innings.

That score of 600 is looking a tad unlikely!

thegooch7 wrote:Cracking report Guildford!
Great start to Day 2..............still need 24 to avoid the follow on!!

kingdaveeagle wrote:That score of 600 is looking a tad unlikely!

300 up halfway there

150 for kp

150 up for Pietersen.

346 - 8 at tea.  KP 177*  No big partnerships, but the tail hasn't folded as per usual and useful contributions (in terms of balls faced and/or runs scored) from Norah, Curran and Tremlett.  Surrey currently lead by 54, which is handy but unlikely to be decisive.  Hopefully we will get one, or even two, more batting points.

When we complain about Surrey letting the tail wag, it's worth noting that Worcs have allowed Boyd Rankin to score 56* in an unbeaten 9th wicket partnership of 114 with Chris Wright for Warks.

I'm missing something big here. Why all this talk above of possibly KP's final CC hundred and the end of his career? Has KP said that if the ECB, ie Strauss, confirm he never again will be in the frame for selection for England then he's going to jack in playing for Surrey? I recognise that non-selection may well be on the cards, especially in the light of A Strauss's colourful but brief pen portrait of KP accidentally made live on air on Sky a while back...

kp dropped

kp on 199

200 for kp

KP 200

Surrey's lead up to 100.  Tremlett is a very handy batsman for a no 10.  And now the 5th batting point....

100 partnership between KP and Tremlett.

Tremlett out for 30.  Can KP farm the bowling and put on a few more with Clive?

Excellent knock from KP - noone else has got 50.

there goes another 6

250 for kp

KP 251*

250 up for Kevin Pietersen!.

KP passes his previous first career best score of 254*

career best for kp

The last five Surrey wickets have so far put on 300.