SURREY VS MIDDLESEX SPECSAVERS COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP

First topic message reminder :

SURREY HAVE NAMED A TWELVE MAN SQUAD FOR THE SPECSAVERS COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP GAME AGAINST MIDDLESEX AT LORD’S STARTING ON THURSDAY.
Aaron Finch will play his final game for Surrey before heading to Sri Lanka to join Australia’s Squad for the upcoming One Day Series. Tom Curran returns to the squad after missing the last Championship game due to him playing for the England Lions in the Tri-Series against Sri Lanka A and Pakistan A.
There is no place in the squad for Jade Dernbach,Gary Wilson,Arun Harinath, Matthew Pillans or James Burke
while Matthew Dunn keeps the treatment table busy.
The Surrey squad to play Middlesex in the Specsavers County Championship at Lord’s on Thursday 4th August, Friday 5th August, Saturday 6th August and Sunday 7th August:
Gareth Batty (capt)
Zafar Ansari
Rory Burns
Sam Curran
Tom Curran
Steven Davies
Aaron Finch
Ben Foakes
Mark Footitt
Stuart Meaker
Jason Roy
Dominic Sibley
Will it be Footitt missing out again or is it time for one of the curran boys to carry the drinks?
Over to you chaps

Yes it was frustrating but jimbob's comment is unfair. Surrey were undone in the end by a brilliantly paced, brilliantly crafted innings from Bailey (looking at Oz's struggles in SL, and how he played an on fire Zaf yesterday, how do they not need him??). But Bailey's innings would have been impossible without the dogged support of Franklin, as useful and dangerous a no 7 as Mooen Ali for England.

From a Surrey standpoint the Currans were good, especially Sam's first spell. Norah bowled with great guile and no luck. Zaf delivered a masterclass in left arm slow with plenty of variety. Even as the pitch flattened out, Bailey continued to treat him with the utmost respect. Sadly, Meaker was below dreadful. He had one spell where he unsettled Bailey at great pace. But that Bailey survived that, then went from 89 to 101 in one later Meaker over without having to run tells you who won that war, even if Meaker had won a battle or two along the way earlier. Credit also to Norah for positive captaincy as Bailey and Franklin settled in, by shuffling of the bowlers and imaginative field settings. At one point when Bailey and Franklin were well set, Sam was bowling to a 'fan' of six close catchers in front of the wicket, three either side, from short square covr through silly mid off and on round to short square midwicket: an extraordinary sight.

Overall, Surrey played like a side just short of good things while Middlesex showed the class of Champions elect by uncharacteristically digging in and drawing ugly when they had to: their notional run chase never got off the ground.If Surrey continue to play like this and have  a modicum of luck, we should be safe. The key will be to take the positives from this game into the Warks match, then be sure to show up 100% in the crucial Hants game.