After reducing Kent to 278, Surrey’s Dom Sibley (35*) and Ollie Pope (20*) batted beautifully as the hosts closed day one at The Kia Oval on 88/1 from 21 overs, 190 runs behind the visitors.
Earlier, a spirited last-wicket partnership of 82 in 14 overs between Joey Evison and Michael Hogan boosted Kent to 278 all out after they had looked in danger of being swept aside by champions Surrey. Pick-of-the-batters Evison hit two sixes and nine fours in an eye-catching 77 not out from 106 balls.
But perhaps it was veteran seamer Hogan, almost twice Evison’s age and who turns 42 at the end of May, who most surprised Surrey’s five-pronged pace attack with nine fours of his own in a defiant 48-ball knock of 43.
A good-sized Kia Oval crowd gave Evison and Hogan a generous hand as the players walked off after a remarkable 41-over afternoon session featuring 173 runs and five wickets, but the last pair’s fun ended with the third legitimate ball after tea when Hogan, having just sliced Tom Lawes for his final four, edged to keeper Ben Foakes as he stepped away to try to carve a short ball through the offside.
The promising Lawes, 20, who took 3 for 41, had come into the LV= Insurance County Championship Division One leaders’ team, following last week’s win against Middlesex, as a pace bowling replacement for West Indies Test ace Kemar Roach, who was released from the scheduled final game of his third stint as Roach had to attend to a family matter back home in Barbados.
For Surrey, Dan Worrall and Jordan Clark took three wickets each, finishing with 3 for 68 and 3 for 61 respectively.
Surrey, though, will be miffed that they allowed Kent to reach a competitive first innings score – winning only their third batting bonus point of the season in the process – after Worrall, Clark, Lawes and Gus Atkinson had looked like carrying all before them in the first 41 overs of the day.
Worrall, switching to around the wicket, made the initial breakthrough by swinging one enough to clip the top of Ben Compton’s off stump when the left-hander, Kent’s leading run-scorer so far this summer, shouldered arms to go for four.
Zak Crawley got to 19 before being surprised by Clark’s bounce and edging to third slip, where Will Jacks took a sharp chest-high catch falling to his left, and Tawanda Muyeye had also started well and reached 22 when the pacy Atkinson found a thin edge through to Foakes with his sixth ball.
Kent were soon 80 for four, skipper Sam Billings driving loosely at Lawes to depart for a nine-ball duck, and they were in deep trouble when Jack Leaning’s 28 ended two balls after lunch – Jacks again catching well at third slip.
Clark soon claimed his third wicket when Jordan Cox was bowled through the gate for 18, and Worrall’s post-lunch spell brought him Grant Stewart’s scalp, leg-before for nine to a delivery that, for once, did not swing away from the right-hander.
Then, however, with growing assurance, Evison and Agar added 74 in 16 overs to frustrate Surrey. Agar eventually chopped on against Lawes and debutant Arafat Bhuiyan, a Bangladesh-born fast bowler with a British passport who plays in the Kent League for Blackheath, made only two before edging Worrall to first slip to set up the Evison-Hogan hour.
Surrey will resume their innings on 88/1 tomorrow.
"All five of us have something different to offer, so it's good options for the captain."
— Surrey Cricket (@surreycricket) May 18, 2023
After opening the bowling for the first time this season and picking up three wickets, @Clarksy16 spoke to @backandacross 🎤
🤎 | #SurreyCricket pic.twitter.com/jNMkyGe11y
