SURREY VS DURHAM SPECSAVERS COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP

First topic message reminder :

SURREY HAVE NAMED A FOURTEEN MAN SQUAD FOR THEIR FINAL SPECSAVERS CHAMPIONSHIP GAME OF THE SEASON AGAINST DURHAM AT THE EMIRATES RIVERSIDE STARTING ON MONDAY.
Jason Roy returns to the squad after playing in the recent One Day and T20 Series for England against Pakistan and Zafar Ansari is named in the squad after missing the last two Championship games with a back injury.
There is no place in the squad this time for Amar Virdi or Gary Wilson
The Surrey squad to play Durham in the Specsavers County Championship at the Emirates Riverside on Monday 12th September, Tuesday 13th September, Wednesday 14th September and Thursday 15th September:
Gareth Batty (capt)
Zafar Ansari
Rory Burns
Sam Curran
Tom Curran
Steven Davies
Ben Foakes
Mark Footitt
Arun Harinath
Stuart Meaker
Ravi Rampaul
Jason Roy
Kumar Sangakkara
Dominic Sibley
good luck anyone who predicts the three to miss out
As i'm first i'll try Harinath,Meaker and TC
Over to you chaps

New ball doing the trick Roy gone

Innings imploding - now Roy is LBW to Onions.

A single to Sam Curran!

Corporalhumblebucket wrote:Innings imploding - now Roy is LBW to Onions.

I'm pretty relaxed about all this. Come what may, we are safe in CC1 next season and have already picked up over twice as many points from this game as we got from our previous two CC1 games at the Riverside put together! The biggest thing for me is that everyone has a good leg stretch, finds a bit of form and stays fit and safe for Saturday. It all feels to me a bit like one of those meaningless mid-table final games of the season in the Premiership when the FA Cup Final beckons for one of the sides the following week.

It'll all be worth it when Sam Curran scores an unbeaten century to guide us home to a three wicket victory with 3.3 overs to spare on day four folks

344 - 8.  After Sam Curran fell very early in the day a handy partnership of 45* between Batty and Meaker.

367 all out - so that was an unexpected extra batting point.  Meaker 35*   Now looks likely Durham will have to bat into tomorrow morning.

Sam Curran is doing that thing where he's really good at cricket again

Will go to the grave wondering why Batty doesn't bowl himself more

106 for the 6th wicket at tea - keeps happening. We just can't finish teams off.

Six wkts for baby face

No idea why we are playing two spinners in this game how we could have done with the extra batsman

jimbobgooner wrote:No idea why we are playing two spinners in this game how we could have done with the extra batsman

Bang on, JimBob. It's not as if it's come as a surprise either!

Could be more of an issue in the early games of next season (when pitches and conditions typically are unhelpful to spinners) if it's planned for both Ansari and Borthwick to bowl then - if so, can or should a place be found for Batty?

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:It'll all be worth it when Sam Curran scores an unbeaten century to guide us home to a three wicket victory with 3.3 overs to spare on day four folks

Some wobbles by both teams over the 3 days so far but Olly's prediction remains a possibility for tomorrow evening.

Poos start today with 1-2 then 11-3. A lot depends on Roy getting another ton and someone sticking with him.

80 - 3 and Ansari and Roy have got us back into the game - but it's still a daunting task as wickets fall in clusters in this match.

133 runs needed from 46 overs with 7 wickets left

Roy currently 83*, Ansari 45* - partnership is worth 137*

Will probably need these two to get us within 60/70 runs to be considered favourites

Olly!

Ansari gone to new man Borthwick for 51

168 - 4 at tea, with Roy on 96, and new batsman Foakes on 1*.  113 runs needed in a minimum of 41 overs - although we have lost overs for bad light towards close of play earlier in the match.

Roy out first ball after tea for 96 That's probably it - although there is still time and opportunity for Sam Curran to score a winning century, as predicted by Olly, if he farms the strike really carefully...

Anyway, a very good effort by Roy in this match... 

Afternoon all

That's trouble! More than 70 away, only 5 left and plenty of time.

Looks like Durham going for a containing strategy at the moment - with Stokes hardly conceding a run - in hope no doubt of a rash stroke or two.  Any result still possible...

Excellent 50 partnership between Foakes and Sam Curran - even if they have now become becalmed.

Come on lads let's have a morale booster before Saturday

Be nice if our key players - Ansari, Roy, Foakes, could stop giving us all the willies by being hit on the hand and arms. Meanwhile That's All and Curran even more Junior are doing a grand job of giving us a sniff.

That's all gone

Foakes falls for 20. Sadly Surrey do seem prone to lose wickets when they have become bogged down - but I guess that it is the essence of good bowling - if you dry up the runs almost completely then the batsmen are likely to get frustrated.

Hopefully batty playing as the specialist batsman pays off

Tom Curran's not had the best of matches - and goes quickly.  I think, realistically, if we are to have any chance now Sam Curran will need to look for some quick runs. We've been strangled completely by Durham in the last hour or so of play.

Last 10 overs we've managed 13 - 2.

Right you are Corporal. I guess we're looking to our vastly experienced 18 year old to lead the victory charge from here, then.

Corporalhumblebucket wrote:Tom Curran's not had the best of matches - and goes quickly.  I think, realistically, if we are to have any chance now Sam Curran will need to look for some quick runs. We've been strangled completely by Durham in the last hour or so of play.

Perhaps if we asked nicely Durham would let our bowlers bowl as they're experts at letting the tale score free runs!

Had we needed around 40 with only 6 or 7 overs left, I feel we would have been in with a chance of pulling it off if we still had 5 wickets left - could afford to biff and see what happened, shutting up shop if we lost a couple of wickets. However, with 7 down now and over 50 to get, it's looking mighty difficult.

Sam Curran obliges with 10 off an Onions over. Tense.

42 needed off 17 overs

28 to win

Stokes gets batty

Want these two get it under 20 ....

Batty falls with still 29 needed.   Meaker is in reasonable batting form at the moment.  If one more wicket falls, tho, I can't see Footitt lasting longer than about three or four balls.

A very fine effort by Sam Curran on 47*

There are enough overs for Curran to not need to give Meaker the strike early in the over.  Surrey are usually quite good tho at the established batsman taking the single of first ball of the over....

Corporalhumblebucket wrote:There are enough overs for Curran to not need to give Meaker the strike early in the over.  Surrey are usually quite good tho at the established batsman taking the single of first ball of the over....

  Doh!

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:It'll all be worth it when Sam Curran scores an unbeaten century to guide us home to a three wicket victory with 3.3 overs to spare on day four folks

A shame we don't need more so Olly's prediction could come off!

The inexperience of youth there

14 overs to survive

Baby face leaves Footitt one ball to Face

50 for baby face

Off the first ball of the over why sam why?

Single off first ball of the over. Gets Sam his 50 but massively risky tactic!

Durham win by 21 runs

Corporalhumblebucket wrote:There are enough overs for Curran to not need to give Meaker the strike early in the over.  Surrey are usually quite good tho at the established batsman taking the single of first ball of the over....

  Didn't require great foresight to work out that that was a bad plan.