ARAFAT
TAKES FIVE AS SURREY GRIND OUT LEAD by Marcus Hook
Surrey 292 v Sussex 217 & 39-2.
But for the loss of day two to the elements, this
game would now been fascinatingly poised. As it is, despite being
rocked by the loss of Chris Nash and nightwatchman Monty Panesar
just before the close, Sussex still have more than enough batting to
leave Guildford with a draw. The visitors will start the final day
just 36 runs behind Surrey, who were earlier dismissed for 292, with
Yasir Arafat returning 5-81, his best championship figures of the
season.
Sussex had the better of the morning session. The
hosts, resuming on 47 without loss, went past fifty in the fifth
over of the day. Tom Lancefield then despatched Yasir Arafat through
the leg-side for four. But, in the very next over, fending away a
rising delivery, Arun Harinath was caught low down at gully by Ed
Joyce off the bowling of Corey Collymore. Three overs later, Mark
Ramprakash announced himself with a trademark cover driven boundary
- a stroke he repeated when Will Adkin replaced Arafat at the
Railway End.
In the 33rd over, Adkin struck with the wicket of
Lancefield, who, having become bogged down, was snapped up at gully
for 37. Rory Hamilton-Brown got off the mark with a straight driven
boundary and three overs later, in the 36th, the Surrey skipper
brought the hundred up by cutting Arafat over backward point for
six.
With Arafat accounting for Ramprakash, playing on,
in the 40th over and Hamilton-Brown, caught on the deep mid-wicket
boundary, in the 44th, lunch was taken with Surrey on 133-4.
Having pulled and cover driven Michael Thornely
for fours just prior to the break, Steven Davies benefited from two
let-offs shortly following the interval - on 15 and 23 - when he was
dropped by Ben Brown, in front of first slip, off the bowling of
Collymore and by Adkin, diving forward at mid-off, off the bowling
of Monty Panesar.
In the 60th over, Stewart Walters straight and the
cover drove Arafat for fours. Two overs later, the 27-year-old
collected two more boundaries off the Pakistan all-rounder. Davies
then came to the fore again, driving Panesar over the head of the
man stationed at mid-wicket for four before driving Ollie Rayner to
the point boundary in the 67th over to bring up his half-century off
81 balls.
Three overs later, Davies twice used his feet well
to Chris Nash. But in the 73rd over, the 24-year-old left-hander was
found guilty of playing across the line to Panesar; thus the curtain
came down on a fifth wicket stand of 89 in 30 overs. With Matthew
Spriegel padding up to Rayner three overs later and Walters being
caught at mid-on for 45 in the 81st over, Surrey took a slender
16-run advantage into the tea interval.
After the break, Sussex were persuaded to take the
new ball at the end of the 89th over when Chris Tremlett deposited
Rayner into the pavilion and Gareth Batty lifted Panesar over wide
long-on for six. Arafat needed less than five overs to polish off
the tail, with Batty being caught just inside the rope at deep
mid-wicket in the 95th over, Tremlett deflecting a lifting delivery
to second slip two overs later and Jade Dernbach edging low to
Rayner in the 99th.
Needing to negotiate twelve overs, the Sussex
openers appeared to be in no trouble at all until Stuart Meaker came
on in the eighth over. Joyce had an escape when he was dropped on 14
at first slip. But, two overs later, Meaker trapped Nash lbw before
beating Panesar for pace.
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