SURREY V HAMPSHIRE at the Kia Oval (SSCC1), 20-23 APRIL 2018
Third in 2017 plays host to fifth,
This will be Surrey's 1,800th first-class match at the Oval and
they'll be defending an unbeaten run of 21. Their last defeat at the
Oval, in first-class cricket, was against Derbyshire in September
2014.
Hampshire last overcame Surrey at
the Oval was at the back end of 2008 when the hosts gambled on
replacing Matt Nicholson as their overseas player with Shoaib Akhtar.
Akhtar's record in the two games he did play was one wicket for 117.
Okay, so Nicholson had only been averaging 56.81 with the ball, but,
with the bat, he was going along nicely at 50.33. Anyway, I digress...
The three meetings between these two in SE11 since 2008 have ended in
draws. In last season's, the visitors racked up their fifth highest
first-class total.
Hampshire's big story over the
winter was the acquisition of batsman Sam Northeast, who parted
company with Kent with a year still to go on his contract (by all
accounts Kent were weighing up their medium-term captaincy options and
Northeast received no guarantee that he was part of them).
Just a brief glance at last
season's averages tells you that runs - apart from during that game at
the Oval - were in short supply in 2017 for the Rose Bowl outfit.
James Vince, with just 626 at 32.94, led the way closely followed by
Australia's George Bailey; whose overseas berth has passed to Hashim
Amla. Tom Alsop (average 16.85), Liam Dawson (20.87) and Rilee Roussow
(19.46), in particular, will be hoping for better luck with the bat
this term.
Despite being Hampshire's
strongest suit, the bowling relied heavily on Kolpak signing Kyle
Abbott, who bagged 60 championship victims at 18.20 runs apiece in
2017. Ian Holland grabbed 19 at 18.47 in eight appearances before
being struck down with a shoulder injury, so Abbott's key allies were
Gareth Berg and Fidel Edwards; with Dawson's slow left-arm providing
an alternative line of attack. Chris Wood missed the entire season due
to a knee injury, but the indications are the 27-year-old left-arm
seamer is firing on all cylinders again.
Surrey v
Hampshire - First-Class Records Sheet
Rikki Clarke goes into this contest with 9,926 first-class career runs,
while Matt Dunn starts the 2018 campaign on 96 f-c career wickets.
Turning to Hampshire, Lewis McManus has 965 first-class runs and
Brad Wheal and Chris Wood have 47 and 99 victims respectively with
the ball.
Surrey's 12-man squad for the curtain-raiser is pretty much as
expected, even though Mat Pillans and Ryan Patel both looked good in
pre-season. Interestingly, the hosts have named two frontline spinners
in their party. Does that suggests the pitch might offer some turn?
Still, the clever money is on off-spinner Amar Virdi being the one to
miss out. Meanwhile,
Tom Curran and Jason Roy are on IPL duty, Morne Morkel is recovering
from a side strain as is Conor McKerr, who also starts the season on the
physio's treatment table.
OPPONENT |
DATE |
RESULT |
VENUE |
SURREY |
OPPONENT |
Lancashire |
25-28 Sep 2017 |
Lost By 7 Wickets |
Old Trafford |
201-8d & 242 |
268 & 179-3 |
Somerset |
19-22 Sep 2017 |
Won By 6 Wickets |
The Oval |
433 & 146-4 |
269 & 306 |
Yorkshire |
12-15 Sep 2017 |
Match Drawn |
The Oval |
592 |
394 & 281-2 |
Hampshire |
5-8 Sep 2017 |
Match Drawn |
Rose Bowl |
200 & 280-4 |
290 |
Middlesex |
28-31 Aug 2017 |
Match Drawn |
The Oval |
280 |
247 & 214-7 |
The weather is set fair (in fact it can hardly be topped), but how
will the wicket play?
If it's offering to the bowlers I can see Surrey edging this one.
But if it's like most of the strips we've seen at the Oval in recent
years, a draw could be in the offing (just like 5 out of the last
six between these two). Kyle Abbott and Hashim Amla are key players
for Hampshire and the ones the hosts have to execute their plans
against if they're to set the pace.
J.Adams, L.McManus (wk), J.Vince (capt), S.Northeast, H.Amla,
R.Rossouw, L.Dawson, G.Berg, K.Abbott, B.Wheal and F.Edwards.
Richard Illingworth and David Millns.
DATE |
RESULT |
VENUE |
TOSS |
DECISION |
SURREY |
HAMPSHIRE |
5-8 Sep 2017 |
Match Drawn |
Rose Bowl |
Hampshire |
Field |
200 & 280-4 |
290 |
3-6 Jul 2017 |
Match Drawn |
The Oval |
Hampshire |
Bat |
483 & 166-3d |
648-7d |
6-9 Sep 2016 |
Match Drawn |
The Oval |
Uncontested |
Field |
329 & 248-3 |
582-9d |
17-20 Jul 2016 |
Won By An Inns & 13 Runs |
Rose Bowl |
Surrey |
Bat |
637-7d |
423 & 201 |
28 Jun - 1 Jul 2014 |
Match Drawn |
The Oval |
Surrey |
Bat |
474-8d & 13-0d |
354 |
27-30 Apr 2014 |
Match Drawn |
Rose Bowl |
Surrey |
Field |
99-2 |
400-6d |
9-12 Sep 2008 |
Lost By An Inns & 122 Runs |
The Oval |
Surrey |
Field |
210 & 148 |
480-8d |
14-17 May 2008 |
Match Drawn |
Rose Bowl |
Surrey |
Bat |
278 & 229-8d |
227 & 247-8 |
30 Aug - 2 Sep 2007 |
Won By An Inns & 37 Runs |
Rose Bowl |
Surrey |
Bat |
556 |
221 & 298 |
25-28 Apr 2007 |
Lost By 35 Runs |
The Oval |
Hampshire |
Bat |
203 & 467 |
481 & 224-1 |
24-27 Aug 2005 |
Match Drawn |
The Oval |
Surrey |
Bat |
378 & 302 |
361-6d |
15-17 Jun 2005 |
Won By An Inns & 55 Runs |
Rose Bowl |
Surrey |
Bat |
361 |
146 & 160 |
11-14 Sep 2002 |
Won By 123 Runs |
Rose Bowl |
Surrey |
Bat |
418 & 422-8d |
327 & 390 |
22-25 Aug 2002 |
Won By An Inns & 60 Runs |
The Oval |
Hampshire |
Bat |
576 |
190 & 326 |
29 Jun - 2 Jul 2000 |
Won By 120 Runs |
Southampton |
Surrey |
Bat |
331 & 228-6d |
167 & 272 |
1-4 Jun 2000 |
Won By 2 Runs |
The Oval |
Surrey |
Bat |
333 & 142 |
210 & 263 |
14-17 Jul 1999 |
Won By 156 Runs |
Guildford |
Surrey |
Bat |
171 & 482 |
322 & 175 |
13-15 May 1998 |
Won By An Inns & 184 Runs |
Southampton |
Surrey |
Bat |
591 |
189 & 218 |
16-19 Jul 1997 |
Won By 9 Wickets |
Guildford |
Surrey |
Bat |
477 & 78-1 |
303 & 251 |
25-29 Jul 1996 |
Won By 5 Wickets |
Southampton |
Hampshire |
Bat |
331 & 332-5 |
359 & 301-4d |
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