ESSEX V SURREY - Specsavers County
Championship - 27 May 2017
Surrey 369. Essex 215-3.
Dan Lawrence closed in on his second Specsavers
County Championship century of the season as he underpinned Essex’s
response to Surrey’s Kumar Sangakkara-inspired 369 at Chelmsford.
Lawrence, 19, received his Essex cap at lunch on the first day and
seemed intent to underline the form that earned him a call into the
England Lions squad to face South Africa A in a three-match series
next week. He was the dominate partner in an unbroken fourth-wicket
stand of 89 with Ravi Bopara that carried Essex within touching
distance of the follow-on mark of 220, their first target.
At the close, Essex were 154 runs behind with
seven wickets in hand and Lawrence was 78. Nick Browne, in contrast,
had struggled to put a total on the scoreboard this season, but
finally notched his first Championship half-century of the season in
a dogged show of crease occupation. His 52 took 152 balls and at one
point in the afternoon he scored just two runs in 50 minutes’ play.
Amar Virdi, an 18-year-old offie, took over the
spin duties in the absence of Gareth Batty and retirement of Zafar
Ansari, and sent down 24 overs on debut without success, but with
plenty of guile and no little promise.
Essex had eventually accounted for Sangakkara in
the morning, but not before he had added 23 runs to his overnight
score to finish on 200. His record fifth consecutive Championship
century took his season’s total to 792 runs and his average to
113.14.
Alastair Cook and Browne raced to 58 for nought in
13 overs before lunch with a flurry of boundaries. But the afternoon
session turned into one of toil and graft as Essex added just 69
runs. To illustrate the pedestrian progress: the first fifty of the
innings took 12 overs, the second a further 24. Cook had struck six
fours before the interval, but lasted just seven balls after the
interval. He shuffled too far across his stumps and was plumb lbw to
Tom Curran for 36.
Browne put on 26 runs with Tom Westley for the
second wicket in 15 overs before Westley wafted at one from Sam
Curran to give Ben Foakes the catch behind. Virdi had both Browne
and Lawrence in knots at times, though Lawrence went aerial over
long leg for the boundary that brought up the Essex hundred. Browne,
too, awoke from his stupor to turn successive balls from Virdi off
his hip for a combined seven runs. He finally reached his first
Championship fifty of the season from 150 balls when he clubbed
Stuart Meaker through midwicket. Two balls later, though, he pulled
the same bowler straight to Tom Curran and went for 52.
Things sped up appreciably in the evening. Bopara
got off the mark with successive boundaries, off front and back
foot, while Lawrence sent thumping cuts off Tom Curran through the
covers for fours. He reached both his half-century and the fifty
partnership when he swatted Sam Curran to fine leg for his eighth
boundary. His personal landmark came off 98 balls, the fourth-wicket
mark in 18 overs.
The Surrey innings lasted 14 more overs in the
morning during which time Sangakkara took his overnight 177 to
exactly 200 before he holed out to Neil Wagner on the long-off
boundary. When Virdi had been ninth man out – clean bowled to give
Jamie Porter his fourth wicket for 89 – Sangakkarra was still five
runs short of his double century. He went to 199 when Wagner bowled
a leg-side full-toss that was despatched contemptuously to the
boundary.
In the next
over Ravi Rampaul eked out the single that gave Sangakarra the
strike. The milestone was duly achieved with a push into the covers
off Porter. Two balls later the Sri Lanka’s seven-hour marathon was
over. It had encompassed 321 balls and included 27 fours. His second
century partnership of the innings was ended when Porter found the
edge of Meaker’s bat in the seventh over of the day. Meaker had
contributed 49, from 99 balls, to the 110-run eighth-wicket stand.
Nick Browne scored his first half-century of the
season, and admitted: "It has been quite a
frustrating start of the year. I’ve played quite well without
getting the results, not that I deserve them, but the results I
wanted. I got fifty, which I’m happy with, but I’d still like to be
out there, score a hundred and put us in a good position for the
lads. But hopefully now I’ve got 150-odd balls under my belt I can
kick on.
"We
managed to score quite quickly in the first session, but after lunch
they bowled really well. They bowled tight lines and bowled straight
to more defensive fields and stopped us scoring. It was a tough
period for us and we had to try and soak up some pressure and come
out the other side of it. We did just that in the last session – but
unfortunately I wasn’t there to do that.
"It
wasn’t the most enjoyable session, no, and not the greatest 50
minutes to watch, I’m sure. It was tough on a slow wicket to pierce
the field. You feel you’re timing the ball nicely but wasn’t going
anywhere because the ball got quite soft. I just had to soak up the
pressure and come out the other side. Bowlers aren’t robots –
they’re going to give you a bad ball at some stage and hopefully I’m
there to hit it for four."
There are competition
for places in Essex’s batting line-up, and Browne said:
"The management have backed me and it is
my job to score runs and it’s not worth worrying about anyone else.
If I score runs I’ll stay in the side. It’s not particularly a big
issue, but it’s great for the side we’ve got batters in the wings,
like Adam Wheater and Varun [Chopra], who can come and take a spot
when needed."
Surrey's bowling coach
Stuart Barnes was full of praise for 18-year-old debutant spinner
Amar Virdi: "His composure was brilliant.
He bowled a long spell, which he is used to doing. He blocked up an
end and created chances. If he plays like that he has a great future
ahead of him." The second new-ball is due
in the morning and Barnes added: "Our lads
will be nice and fresh and hopefully they will bowl slightly better
with this new-ball than they did with the first one."
TEA REPORT
Nick Browne grafted and toiled to his first
Specsavers County Championship half-century against Surrey at
Chelmsford. The left-hander had long spells without scoring during
the afternoon, adding just 28 to his score in 34 overs before he
departed in the over before tea. At that point Essex were 127 for
three in reply to Surrey’s 369. Alastair Cook had batted
beautifully before lunch, striking six fours, but lasted just seven
balls after the interval. He shuffled too far across his stumps and
was plumb lbw to Tom Curran for 36. Nick Browne became becalmed
post-lunch and managed just two runs in one 50-minute spell before
he drove Amar Virdi through the covers for four. But he lost Tom
Westley, wafting at one from Sam Curran, after a 15-over stand
during which just 26 runs were added. Virdi had both batsman in
knots on occasions in his first Championship bowl, though Dan
Lawrence did loft him over long leg for the boundary that took Essex
past 100 in the 36th over. The first fifty, in comparison, had taken
only 12 overs. Browne, too, turned successive balls from the
off-spinner off his hip for a four and a three before going back
into his shell. He finally reached his fifty in the penultimate over
before tea when he clubbed Stuart Meaker through midwicket for his
ninth four. He had taken him 150 balls. Two balls later he pulled
Meaker to Tom Curran at midwicket and exited for 52.
LUNCH REPORT
Kumar Sangakkarra’s seven-hour marathon finally
ended just two balls after he had reached his double-century against
Essex at Chelmsford. The veteran Sri Lankan had batted for all but
the first four of Surrey’s 110 overs in posting his record fifth
consecutive Specsavers County Championship century. He faced 321
balls and hit 27 fours. In reply to Surrey’s 369, Essex were 58
without loss at lunch with Alastair Cook (34) and Nick Browne (24)
finding the boundary with some regularity. Jamie Porter had broken
the stubborn eight-wicket stand in the seventh over of the day when
he found the edge of Stuart Meaker’s bat. Meaker had contributed
49 of the 110-run partnership and faced 99 balls. Sangakkarra was
still the immovable object. When Neil Wagner dropped one short he
hooked the ball contemptuously for his 26th four. He lost his
seventh partner when Porter demolished Amar Virdi’s stumps with a
ball that was too good for the 18-year-old debutant. It meant
Sangakkara was on 195 with one wicket to fall. He went to 199 when
Wagner bowled a leg-side full-toss that was despatched to the
boundary. In the next over Ravi Rampaul eked out the single that
gave Sangakkara the strike and the chance to reach 200. The
milestone was duly passed with a push into the covers off Porter.
Two balls later, Sangakkara went for a big-hit that belied the
patience and concentration he had shown before and lofted Simon
Harmer’s second delivery of the day straight to Wagner on the
long-off boundary. The great man was already halfway to the pavilion
before the catch was taken.
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