SURREY VS MIDDLESEX SPECSAVERS COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP

SURREY HAVE NAMED A 13 MAN SQUAD FOR TOMORROW’S DERBY GAME AGAINST MIDDLESEX IN THE RETURN OF THE SPECSAVERS COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP.
The fixture sees Amar Virdi included in the Surrey senior side for the first time this season. Virdi, a Surrey Academy graduate, was awarded a full professional contract in August 2016. The 18-year-old spinner has been involved with the England Young Lions, and has represented Surrey since U12 level..
There is also a spot for Ravi Rampaul in a first-class squad for the first time this summer. Rampaul missed out for the first three games of the season but has recently performed well in Surrey’s successful Royal London One Day Cup group matches.
Sadly Jade Dernbach still hasn't recovered from his back injury
FULL SURREY SQUAD
Gareth Batty (captain)
Scott Borthwick
Rory Burns
Sam Curran
Tom Curran
Ben Foakes
Mark Footitt
Stuart Meaker
Ravi Rampaul
Kumar Sangakkara
Dominic Sibley
Mark Stoneman
Amar Virdi
Probably ravioli and virdi to miss out for me
Important game for Sibley needs a score with his holiness praying for a chance.
Over to you chaps

jimbobgooner wrote:
...
Probably ravioli and virdi to miss out for me
Important game for Sibley needs a score with his holiness praying for a chance.
Over to you chaps

Cheers, JimBob.

Agree with you. Suspect Virdi is named as recognition of his success with the stiffs and to give him a feel of being involved with the firsts rather than him being lined up to play just yet. Middlesex have included two main spinners, Rainer and Patel, in their 14 man squad along with occasional leggie Malan; however, the suggestions are that Patel will be warming the bench. Doubt the conditions will suit more than one frontline slow man per side. Some rain expected tomorrow (?? Corporal).

Think Ravioli will push Meaker very hard for a place. However, as you say, Meaks probably winning out.

Might go along Sunday or Monday but subject to weather and Mrs Bat.

Btw, b*gg*r all from the Club about Dernbach unless I've missed it?!

With the weather the band of rain should clear early tomorrow- but the main issue is quantity of rain in run up to the match, including deluge of rain we've had this evening and continuing overnight. Agree with Jimbob's predictions - can't see Meaker missing out. Ravioli doing pretty well at the moment but it's difficult to see him displacing any of the existing bowlers.  And yes - Sibley will surely be aware of Pope waiting in the wings.

Surrey lose the toss and are asked to bat. Only change (as expected) is Meaker in for Dernbach.

As we thought, Surrey leave Virdi on the bench and Rampaul in the canteen.

Slightly odd goings on just before the start. We could have elected to bowl under the new rules but chose to toss the coin, obviously hoping to win and bat. Middlesex won the toss and then put us in!

Tough morning.  Good start with 55 partnership but then Surrey lose three quick wickets to leave us 89 - 3.

As the Corporal says, a good start by Surrey. However, it ended up as Middlesex's morning. Conditions appear to have suited Franklin's normally ordinary medium pace.

We'll do well to get 300 from here.

145/3 off 42. That's helped the situation since lunch but we need Sanga and Sibley to carry on. I don't have much confidence in our batting after Foakes.

Just noticed that Sanga is now 170 runs short of landmark 20,000 runs in first class cricket.

Sanga reaches 52*  Valuable innings and partnership with Sibley.

Rain break and tea taken - due to restart at 1540

Just restarted and now 183/3 off 50. Even allowing for the rain break and an early tea, that's a pretty poor over rate from Middlesex. If the residents of St Johns Wood allowed floodlights more often, we would be playing late into the evening!

Anyway, seems like we've recovered well and are now in a useful position. Need to ensure though that we don't waste it.

And a 50 to Sibley....   Much needed runs.

Corporalhumblebucket wrote:And a 50 to Sibley....   Much needed runs.

Yep, I'll also give Sibley for that but he needs to regard it as only being half the job done so far. Push on, lad!

Oh dear

First batting point

100 for Kumar

jimbobgooner wrote:First batting point

JimBob - we should get you at least 2 more batting points which is 1 or 2 more than I thought likely at lunch!

My worry with the batting is that the last 5 wickets could fold quickly. Sam has potential but that's what it is atm whilst the others don't give me much confidence.

Credit to Sibley for his fifty and part in an important partnership but, for me, he still needed to go on further. He's done enough to keep ahead of the Pope but has still to properly cement a place.

Sounds like a very fine innings indeed.  Certainly gave Rayner a bit of stick!

Second batting point. 

That's all gone

Foakes falls to Finn! 264/5. This is where Middlesex could come back strongly.

Strangely, the only Middlesex bowlers without a wicket so far are the two who usually do so well against us, Ollie Rayner and Toblerone Jones.

Foakes falls for 19 with score at 264-5.  Useful partnership of 62, but can't help sharing Guildford's fear that the innings may fizzle out. Foakes had been in such good batting form that I was expecting a 50++ score from him.  While Sanga is still there Sam Curran has good opportunity to play himself in without scoring pressure mounting.

Off for bad light wonder if that was playing on Foakes mind

Sanga

Just saw yesterday's plays highlights on youtube - to say Borthwick's LBW decision looked dodgy would be an understatement!

As you feared Guildford

jimbobgooner wrote:As you feared Guildford

Sadly so, JimBob.

A miserable morning for Surrey.

Middlesex currently 90/2. Footitt with a wicket but getting some tap.

Tea just being taken with - according to cricinfo - 45 overs to be bowled after that. If rain or bad light doesn't stop play, it's going to be a very late one!

Middlesex 129/2 off 33, trailing by 184. Eskinaze and Malan both going well. A couple of quick wickets after tea would give a different picture but atm it doesn't look good for us. Not good at all. As we might have guessed, Batty hasn't bowled a ball yet.

Thinking of going tomorrow. Weather forecast seems better for then. You agree, Corporal?

Wasn't around much today - but it was a poor day for Surrey. Collapsed first thing this morning then let Middlesex get away after tea.

Fair to say 1st defeat of the season coming up

JimBob and all - according to the Club website, after day two the match is ''evenly poised''.

guildfordbat wrote:JimBob and all - according to the Club website, after day two the match is ''evenly poised''.

Weird! Especially as they do an interview with Di Venuto saying "good teams bounce back" - in which he's saying we need to bounce back from our position tomorrow - contradicting the head coach is the website!

At the ground. Again Meaker makes things happen! His first ball was short and wide of Malan's leg stump but fast. The batsman couldn't resist but didn't connect properly and ended up giving a chance behind which Foakes took well.

341/6. Franklin full of aggressive shots and getting towards a century. Even with that wicket, Middlesex clearly in command.

And now Toblerone Jones goes like a train against the pace of Meaker and a wayward Footitt. Both replaced by the Currans. Middlesex looking to be in a strong position.

In other news both Currans and Foakes called up to the Lions squad for a three match one day series with South Africa A. Matches take place on June 1st, 3rd and 5th (would presume they will miss some Surrey action - sorry don't have my schedule in front of me!)

I guess Middlesex's all out total of 411 and a lead of around 100, was about par for where they stood overnight.  At least with the quick fall of late wickets Surrey took full bowling points.  Both Surrey openers out early in second innings - now it's an uphill struggle for Surrey to set Middlesex any sort of meaningful target to chase.

80 - 2 at tea, with deficit now at 18. Long way to go. Unless Surrey score briskly they will probably need to bat until towards tea tomorrow to save the match. Still 44 overs to be bowled today. 

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:In other news both Currans and Foakes called up to the Lions squad for a three match one day series with South Africa A. Matches take place on June 1st, 3rd and 5th (would presume they will miss some Surrey action - sorry don't have my schedule in front of me!)

Surrey have  cc matches starting on 26 May and 9 June - but they don't play in the round of cc matches starting 2 June.

135 - 2 in 49th over.  Sanga and Borthwick digging in - batting together so far for 40 overs.  Sanga just 36 runs short of 20,000 first class runs.

But Borthwick falls lbw to Rayner for 49.  With the lead just 41 we can't afford to lose any more wickets this evening.

Honestly just how lucky are we that Kumar Sangakkara plays for Surrey. What an outrageous cricketer, the best bat of his generation.

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Honestly just how lucky are we that Kumar Sangakkara plays for Surrey. What an outrageous cricketer, the best bat of his generation.

Sanga's performance in this match has reminded me of a quote from Harry Redknapp about his time playing for West Ham in the late 1960s:
''We had three World Cup winners in the team but still struggled. Shows how crap the rest of us were.''

guildfordbat wrote:

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Honestly just how lucky are we that Kumar Sangakkara plays for Surrey. What an outrageous cricketer, the best bat of his generation.

Sanga's performance in this match has reminded me of a quote from Harry Redknapp about his time playing for West Ham in the late 1960s:
''We had three World Cup winners in the team but still struggled. Shows how crap the rest of us were.''

Great quote GB! Surrey have done well today...or maybe I should say Sangakara has! I guess our chances of getting away with a draw depend basically on Sangakara...he goes only I'm thinking a rerun of the first innings....

Sanga - a class act. 

Middlesex must be firm favourites to win this match, given the fragility of Surrey's lower order.  IF Sanga and Foakes plus lower order could muster at least another 130 between them then we maybe start to have a bit of chance.  I guess in the early part of the day runs we score are of much greater significance than eating up the overs by blocking. If we are still batting beyond say 40 mins after lunch then the required run rate could start to climb into more significant territory.

Guildford - a very neat way of combining Surrey and West Ham matters!

In isolation, a decent day for Surrey but, even with Sanga's brilliance, insufficient to prevent Middlesex continuing to hold the advantage.

We're effectively 96/4 in a one innings shoot out. Weather is good for batting and the pitch isn't giving much help to the bowlers. That should enable us to score some more but knocking over Middlesex will be very difficult.

Apart from Footitt who was too often wayward, our bowling this morning and immediately after lunch was generally there or thereabouts. Tom Curran was probably the best for me, certainly the most steady and reliable. The issue though does seem to be in our deciding whether to use him as a stock or strike bowler. Meanwhile, Meaker picked up a fourfer - a combination of his pace and Middlesex trying to get on with it. Franklin hit sixes either side of the ground before bringing up his ton to emulate Malan whilst Roland Jones produced some cracking drives in serving up a punchy 30.

Roland Jones continued his good work when taking the ball. An excellent opening spell to account for both our openers and a first ball to Sanga that beat him all ends up but just failed to take an edge or the outside of off stump. Other than the odd dodgy bit of running with Borthwick, Sanga never looked in the slightest bit of trouble after that and delivered another masterclass. Not surprisingly, Borthwick didn't look so assured but still did a useful job. It was disappointing though that he fell to Rayner - that opened the game up once more and changed the mood of the Middlesex players and the crowd. I actually thought Rayner deserved that - he was always willing and normally accurate on a track that wasn't noticeably taking spin. He mostly bowled from the Nursery End enabling the seamers to alternate from the Pavilion. Finn was disappointing and Sanga wasted no time in going about him. The best of the lot was Roland Jones - he also got Sibley towards the end although I was heading home for supper (mustard chicken a la Mrs Bat, if you ask ) by then. At least one wicket too many for us to lose today imo.

Just like we wanted for our first innings at the start of day 2, we now need Sanga to carry on and someone to stick with him. Tomorrow would be a good time for Foakes to transfer his RL 50 batting form to the Championship.

Sanga's last four innings for Surrey in first class matches have all been centuries  (136, 105, 114, 116*).  His last limited overs innings for Surrey was also a century! (124*).     Obviously he's begining to come into form! 

Corporalhumblebucket wrote:Sanga's last four innings for Surrey in first class matches have all been centuries  (136, 105, 114, 116*).  His last limited overs innings for Surrey was also a century! (124*).     Obviously he's begining to come into form! 

Bit of Surrey trivia - who was the last Surrey player to hit centuries in both innings of the same first class game before Sanga in this game?

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:

Corporalhumblebucket wrote:Sanga's last four innings for Surrey in first class matches have all been centuries  (136, 105, 114, 116*).  His last limited overs innings for Surrey was also a century! (124*).     Obviously he's begining to come into form! 

Bit of Surrey trivia - who was the last Surrey player to hit centuries in both innings of the same first class game before Sanga in this game?

I actually heard this last night and so will leave it for others. It's a good question.

(Without looking it up) I think the answer might be the Baron von Harinath?

Kevin Hand - the Middlesex guy on comms (Churchy absent for family reasons) - keeps banging on about how difficult a target of 220 would be for Middlesex. I don't really get that - sure, if Middlesex were 10/2 they might not continue the chase but they could still shut up shop and play out time on this track and in these conditions.

PS Must be a bad situation for Churchy to duck out. He was once taken ill when on his own at an away game but continued commentating despite a chunder mid over!

Sanga caught behind off Franklin's normally ordinary medium pace.

JimBob - make sure you know where the car keys are!

A body blow! Sanga falls to Franklin for 120 and new ball due in a couple of overs.  Chances of avoiding defeat now very low.