MIDDLESEX V SURREY - Specsavers County
Championship - 19 May 2017
Surrey 265-5. Middlesex.
Kumar Sangakkara stroked an elegant 113 not out in
Surrey’s opening day 265 for 5 against Middlesex at Lord’s,
after enjoying the rare distinction of walking through the Pavilion
past his own recently commissioned portrait.
MCC unveiled portraits of both Sangakkara and his
fellow former Sri Lankan international batting great Mahela
Jayawardene, a close friend, before Surrey – who themselves
declined the option of bowling first – were put into bat by
Middlesex captain James Franklin in an eagerly-awaited Specsavers
County Championship London derby clash between the champions and the
early-season Division One leaders.
The paintings were on display for the first time
as, out in the middle, the 39-year-old Sangakkara showcased his
enduring class to lead a Surrey recovery from 83 for 3. That
represented a worrying slide from 55 without loss, but Sangakkara
was then joined by Dom Sibley in a fourth wicket partnership of 114
in 33 overs which steadied Surrey’s ship. The 21-year-old Sibley
fought hard to reach 54 from 111 balls, with eight fours, before
edging a deserving Tom Helm to Adam Voges at first slip.
Earlier, when he had made just 22, Sibley was
dropped in the same position, waist high to his left, by Voges off
Helm. Sangakkara, on 24, would have been run out if Toby
Roland-Jones, veering across the pitch in his follow through to get
to the ball, had hit the bowler’s stumps on the turn from short
mid wicket when the left-hander with 134 Test caps and more than
28,000 international runs to his name had been sent back by Sibley.
That scare apart, however, there was little in the
pitch or from the Middlesex attack that seemed to trouble Sangakkara
as he drove beautifully through the covers, picked up further runs
with a succession of flicks off his pads and, when Franklin twice
overpitched, punched the left-arm seamer down the ground for two of
his 11 fours.
There were also two sixes from successive balls
for Sangakkara, playing in his 254th first-class match, with both
blows struck into the stands over midwicket off Ollie Rayner’s off
spin. They took him to 95 and, soon, he was easing Rayner through
the cover ring for three runs to go to his 97th century in all
senior cricket.
Ben Foakes, for 19, also fell to a thin edge
behind off Steven Finn just before heavy rain arrived to wash away
the remaining 24 scheduled overs of the day. Earlier, a spectacular
catch at second slip by Rayner was the highlight of a fascinating
morning session as Surrey started well but then lost three wickets
in quick succession before Sangakkara and Sibley counter-attacked
after lunch.
Rayner dived to scoop up right-handed and just
millimetres from the turf an edge from Rory Burns that looked as if
it could not possibly carry to the waiting slip cordon. That ended a
defiant 33 from the left-handed Burns and gave Franklin, Middlesex’s
captain, the second of two crucial wickets.
Franklin had also pinned Scott Borthwick lbw for 8
with one that skidded on and defeated the Surrey No 3’s attempt to
flick it to leg off the back foot, while Finn earlier made the
initial breakthrough by tempting Mark Stoneman, on 33, to chase a
widish ball and edge to keeper John Simpson.
Stoneman, who survived a chance to gully when 20
during a testing new ball spell by Helm, had put on 55 with Burns
after Surrey had declined the chance to bowl first themselves under
cloudy skies – forcing a toss which Middlesex won, prompting
Franklin to choose to bowl.
The surface, though, looked a good one although
there was always something in it for the faster bowlers and, either
side of losing their first three wickets, Surrey’s excellent
progress certainly supported their decision to bat first. By the
close, though, it had become clear that Sangakkara’s brilliance
was simply the difference between the two sides in these opening
exchanges.
Both Sangakkara and Jayawardene took part in
multiple sittings with Surrey-based artist Antony Williams, and the
completed images now take their rightful place in the Lord’s
Pavilion alongside pictures of other cricket heroes such as Sir Viv
Richards and Glenn McGrath.
Sangakkara said: “I was humbled when I was asked
to sit for the portrait commissioned by MCC. It is a great honour. I
wanted to know how I would be represented through Antony's eyes; not
just my expressions or my physical appearance but how he would
interpret me as a whole. Having seen the final portrait, I was so
very pleasantly surprised, unnerved and a bit embarrassed seeing
myself in a frame on canvas but thoroughly happy with the work done.”
Middlesex fast bowler Tom Helm said: "The pitch
did a bit this morning, but looked better for batting as the day
went on. "We felt we let them get too many runs in the middle
part of the day, but then pulled it back a bit towards the end.
"I'd say it's pretty even at the moment, so we need to take a
couple of early wickets in the morning. "Obviously Sanga is a
class act, and you have to take your hat off to someone with 59
first-class hundreds, but it was a nice challenge bowling at him and
it would be very nice to get him out early tomorrow!"
TEA REPORT
Kumar Sangakkara and Dom Sibley rallied Surrey to
175 for 3 by tea at Lord’s, taken early due to rain, with their
unbroken fourth wicket partnership of 92 frustrating Middlesex’s
attack after the champions had chosen to bowl first.
Sangakkara, driving beautifully through the covers
and down the ground, was on 51 not out with Sibley unbeaten on 44
– although both had enjoyed moments of good fortune on a
fascinating opening day in the Specsavers County Championship
Division One’s London derby.
Sibley, on 22, was dropped at first slip by Adam
Voges off an unlucky Tom Helm, while Sangakkara could have been run
out on 24 if Toby Roland-Jones, the bowler, had hit the stumps from
short mid wicket after the Sri Lankan great had been sent back by
Sibley.
Earlier, a spectacular catch at second slip by
Ollie Rayner was the highlight of an action-packed morning session
as Surrey slid from 55 without loss to 83 for 3 before Sangakkara
and Sibley counter-attacked after lunch.
Rayner dived to scoop up right-handed and just
millimetres from the turf an edge from Rory Burns that looked as if
it could not possibly carry to the waiting slip cordon. That ended a
defiant 33 from the left-handed Burns and gave James Franklin,
Middlesex’s captain, the second of two crucial wickets with his
left-arm seamers.
Franklin also pinned Scott Borthwick lbw for 8
with one that skidded on and defeated the Surrey No 3’s attempt to
flick it to leg off the back foot, while Steven Finn earlier made
the initial breakthrough by tempting Mark Stoneman, on 33, to chase
a widish ball and edge to keeper John Simpson.
Stoneman, who survived a chance to gully when 20
during a testing new ball spell by Helm, had put on 55 with Burns
after Surrey had declined the chance to bowl first themselves under
cloudy skies – forcing a toss which Middlesex won, prompting
Franklin to choose to bowl.
The surface, though, looked a good one although
there was initially something in it for the faster bowlers and,
either side of losing their first three wickets, Surrey’s
excellent progress certainly supported their inclination to bat
first.
LUNCH REPORT
A spectacular catch at second slip by Ollie Rayner
was the highlight of the London derby’s fascinating first morning
as Surrey reached 89 for 3 by lunch after being put in by Middlesex
in their Specsavers County Championship Division One match at Lord’s.
Rayner dived to scoop up right-handed and just
millimetres from the turf an edge from Rory Burns that looked as if
it could not possibly carry to the waiting slip cordon. That ended a
defiant 33 from the left-handed Burns and gave James Franklin,
Middlesex’s captain, the second of two crucial wickets with his
left-arm seamers.
Franklin also pinned Scott Borthwick lbw for 8
with one that skidded on and defeated the Surrey No 3’s attempt to
flick it to leg off the back foot, while Steven Finn earlier made
the initial breakthrough by tempting Mark Stoneman, on 33, to chase
a widish ball and edge to keeper John Simpson.
Stoneman, who survived a chance to gully on 20
during a testing new ball spell by Tom Helm, had put on 55 with
Burns after Surrey had declined the chance to bowl first themselves
under cloudy skies – forcing a toss which Middlesex won, prompting
Franklin to choose to bowl.
The surface, though, looked a good one although
there was something in it for the faster bowlers and, before their
loss of three wickets, Surrey’s initial excellent progress
certainly supported their inclination to bat first.
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