SOLANKI
AND ALI UPSET SURREY'S PLANS by Marcus Hook
Surrey 493 v Worcestershire 262-3.
A stand of 223 in 56 overs between Vikram Solanki
and Moeen Ali would appear to have upset Surrey's hopes, which
looked pretty realistic at lunch time yesterday, of skittling
Worcestershire out for considerably less than the 344 they need to
avoid being asked to follow-on. Having lost their openers before
scoring a run, the visitors were indebted to their skipper and his
22-year-old apprentice, who set a new record for Worcestershire's
third wicket against Surrey, beating Solanki and Ben Smith's 165-run
collaboration at Worcester three years ago.
Solanki and Ali came together in the fourth over
of the visitors' reply, after the loss of Daryl Mitchell, trapped on
the crease fifth ball, and Phil Jaques, caught behind low and to the
right of Steven Davies.
The expectation had been that the spinners would
dominate on a dry and dusting pitch, but Solanki, in particular,
afforded them little respect. The Worcestershire skipper slog swept
Gareth Batty's second ball for six and swept the next delivery to
the rope at deep square leg for four.
Ali found his feet against the bowling of Jade
Dernbach, off whom he struck two off-side boundaries in the 18th
over and fours off two successive deliveries in the 24th. Solanki
was also quick to throw Chris Schofield off his stride, which he
succeeded in doing by launching him into the sightscreen at the
Nottingham Road End for a maximum in the 28th over.
Shortly after bringing up his half-century off 80
balls, Solanki slog swept Batty for another six, this time into the
main scoreboard, which was soon to record Ali's fifty, which
encompassed 88 deliveries.
At tea the visitors were 131-2 off 41 overs, which
put a very different complexion on proceedings than their 9-2 at
lunch. In the fifth over following the break Ali was down the wicket
to Schofield, whom he picked up over long-on for his first maximum.
In the 52nd over Solanki launched Schofield
straight down the ground for six on his way to 153-ball hundred,
which arrived in the very next over, shortly after slog sweeping
Batty past Dernbach's outstretched right hand at deep mid-wicket.
Ali's second six, like his first, was off Schofield, except this one
was directed over long-off and came off the leg spinner's third
no-ball.
The third wicket pair were eventually parted in
the 60th over, when Andre Nel broke through Solanki's defences to
leave his leg stump leaning at a jaunty angle. The Worcestershire
skipper's 27th first-class hundred came in 174 deliveries, took 212
minutes and included four sixes and 14 fours.
In the next over, Ali progressed to his third
century in first-class cricket, which came off 180 balls. The
left-hander was still there at the close with an unbeaten 122 to his
name.
Earlier in the day, Surrey added 78 to their
overnight total. Schofield drove the first ball he received low to
Ali at cover point. With his score on 120, Davies edged Alan
Richardson between first and second slip at head height. But ten
overs later Richardson, pulling off a brilliant catch after running
back from mid-on, drew a line under Davies's 137 off 200 balls.
Solanki's direct hit at the bowler's end from
mid-off saw off Nel, who made an eventful 28, then Ali, having
earlier accounted for Davies, had Iftikhar Anjum caught on the
long-on boundary.
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