It’s only 50 days until Surrey are in LV= Insurance County Championship action at The Kia Oval for the first time in 2022 but who will be the batters that are most likely to raise the bat this season?
The half-century landmark is typically greeted by a more muted celebration from the batter and his teammates outside the changing room than the three figures but in terms of the approaching season, we’re a lot more excited than we were fifty days ago.
The batters in the country are currently training indoors but will move to the outdoor marquee next week for their first work on grass since the end of last season.
Surrey’s first home LV= Insurance County Championship match of the season comes on the 14th April against Hampshire, a week after we travel to Edgbaston to face Warwickshire. Here we take a look at the current batters in the Surrey squad and evaluate the impact they may have on the coming season.
RORY BURNS (Captain)
First-class innings: 277
First-class runs: 10,791
First-class average: 41.18
First class high score: 219*
Our Club captain has had an eventful winter as part of the England Ashes tour of Australia and will be relishing a return to his home ground for the start of the season. His recent returns from England duties have yielded fruitful returns, with a century in his only Surrey first-class fixture in 2020 and 617 runs in just 14 innings in 2021. All Surrey fans will be looking forward to seeing him lead the way again.
HASHIM AMLA
First-class innings: 418
First-class runs: 18,803
First-class average: 48.96
First class high score: 311*
A legend of the game after a remarkable Test career with South Africa, Hash will return to Surrey for the entirety of the 2022 season. The ground where he hit 311* during a Test match in 2012, Amla is clearly very comfortable calling The Kia Oval home. He hit 994 runs in 2021, the most of any Surrey player in first-class cricket.
JORDAN CLARK
First-class innings: 90
First-class runs: 2,100
First-class average: 25.92
First class high score: 140
Our leading wicket taker in first-class cricket in 2021, Clark regularly batted at seven in 2021 and could remain there this season. Last year he managed 208 runs in the format, with a high score of 61 not out.
LAURIE EVANS
First-class innings: 125
First-class runs: 3,495
First-class average: 29.36
First class high score: 213*
A T20 monster who has enjoyed great success in several leagues around the world; including winning Man of the Match at the BBL final earlier this year. Evans played two matches in red-ball cricket in 2021 but will be hoping for more opportunities in the longest format in the coming season.
BEN FOAKES
First-class innings: 194
First-class runs: 6,214
First-class average: 38.35
First class high score: 141*
Widely regarded as one of the best wicket keeper batters in the world, Foakes will be back with Surrey for the start of the season following England’s upcoming tour of West Indies. Settled at number five in the order in recent seasons, Foakes scored 350 runs in 10 innings in 2021.
BEN GEDDES
First-class innings: 2
First-class runs: 19
First-class average: 9.50
First class high score: 15
A Surrey Pathway product who signed professional terms early in the 2021 season, Geddes featured across all three formats in his first season. He scored 84 runs in four List A innings, 44 in six T20 innings and 19 in one first-class match. His focus will be across all formats this season.
WILL JACKS
First-class innings: 44
First-class runs: 1,142
First-class average: 29.28
First class high score: 120
Having made waves around the world in T20 cricket this winter and top scoring in the Bangladesh Premier League, Jacks will be hoping to cement a place in the red-ball side in 2022 too. He is currently expected to be available to Surrey for much of the season and will be hoping to match his white-ball prowess to build on the one first-class century he has scored so far in his career.
JAMIE OVERTON
First-class innings: 108
First-class runs: 1,660
First-class average: 19.30
First class high score: 120
An all-rounder who has made great strides with the bat in his time at Surrey, Overton is crucial in all facets of the game in white-ball cricket and will be looking to develop his reputation with the bat in red-ball cricket. In 2021, his first-class return with the bat was 154 runs in nine innings.
RYAN PATEL
First-class innings: 52
First-class runs: 1,176
First-class average: 24.50
First class high score: 100*
Capable of batting anywhere in the top six, Patel has spent much of his career so far playing where the teams needs him. This has included opening up and through the middle order, Patel will be hoping to make one role in the team his own in 2022. Previously considered more of a dogged performer, Patel impressed as a big hitter in the Royal London Cup, demonstrating his versatility.
OLLIE POPE
First-class innings: 97
First-class runs: 4,220
First-class average: 50.23
First class high score: 274
Relentless in his run scoring during LV= County Championship matches at The Kia Oval, Pope again had a strong season in the format in 2022 with 861 runs in 13 innings at an average of 78.27 including three centuries and two half-centuries. After England’s upcoming Test series in the West Indies he will be looking to prove his credentials as one of the best batters in the country.
NICO REIFER
First-class innings: 0
First-class runs: 0
First-class average: N/A
First class high score: N/A
An elegant batter capable of scoring runs all around the ground, Reifer will be hoping to break into the red-ball team in 2022. He scored 63 runs in five innings and has been hard at work both in South London and Barbados since the end of the 2021 season.
JASON ROY
First-class innings: 144
First-class runs: 4,850
First-class average: 36.46
First class high score: 143
Having become one of the best white-ball batters in world cricket, Roy has played only three first-class matches for Surrey in the last four years. With IPL commitments early in the season and England likely to play through much of the summer, any LV= County Championship appearances may be limited.
JAMIE SMITH
First-class innings: 42
First-class runs: 1,395
First-class average: 36.71
First class high score: 138
Our Members’ and Players’ Player of the Season in 2021, our young wicket keeper batter will be looking to be a mainstay in the Surrey first-class team this year. The 21-year-old has so far played 26 matches in the format, scoring 1,395 runs with four centuries.
CAMERON STEEL
First-class innings: 76
First-class runs: 2,081
First-class average: 28.12
First class high score: 224
The all-rounder joined Surrey midway through the 2021 season and after the Royal London Cup, opened up for Surrey in our final few first-class matches. Where he will be likely to bat in 2022 remains to be seen but he will be hoping to contribute both with bat and his leg-spin.
