Red ball cricket returns to south London from this Sunday as Surrey welcome Durham at the Kia Oval for a crucial Rothesay County Championship fixture.
Rory Burns’ side will hope to consolidate on their convincing victory at New Road last week and look to leapfrog leaders Nottinghamshire, who are currently two points ahead of the Three Feathers.
Play will start at 11 am on all four days, with a Kookaburra ball being used for this fixture.
Day 2 of the match is anticipated to be one of the busiest annual Schools Days at the Kia Oval, with over 7,000 schoolchildren and their teachers expected to visit the ground. Day 1 coincides with Ataxia UK Day and the charity will be present in the ground to raise awareness and funds about the rare condition.
SQUAD
Josh Blake, James Taylor and Ollie Sykes come into a 13-strong squad.
Ben Foakes is on paternity leave while Nathan Smith is pit-stopping during the busy schedule of white ball and red ball cricket. Mitchell Santner is not available for this fixture.
HOW CAN I KEEP UP WITH THE MATCH?
The match will be broadcast live on Surrey’s YouTube channel, with a link posted on the Surrey Match Centre and social media channels.
Surrey Cricket’s social media channels will provide live updates from the Kia Oval, with clips and highlights posted throughout the day. A written report and highlights will be available at the end of each day’s play. The ‘Oval & Out’ podcast will be posted on Surrey’s YouTube channel after the conclusion of each day.
LAST TIME OUT
Surrey returned to the Rothesay County Championship in fine form, cruising to a nine-wicket victory against Worcestershire at New Road inside three days with a clinical performance.
Matt Fisher (3/34), who has bowled beautifully throughout the season without the wickets tally to show for it, received his well-earned rewards. Jordan Clark (3/38) was as reliable as ever, and the Pears were dismissed for 214 with only Matthew Waite crossing fifty for the hosts.
Openers Dom Sibley (73) and Ryan Patel (61) complemented each other brilliantly and got Surrey off to a great start, with the left-hander taking the aggressive route. Ben Allison (5/44) and the Pears clawed their way back with the ball, but runs from Dan Lawrence (57) and Clark (34) ensured that the Three Feathers collected a significant lead of 77 runs.
Nathan Smith (6/38), who played a lot of his cricket at New Road last year, delivered his finest performance in Surrey colours, dismantling Worcestershire with a fierce spell alongside Fisher (4/47). The hosts went from 112/4 to 125 all out, meaning Surrey only required 49 runs for victory. Rory Burns reverse-swept Fateh Singh for six to seal an emphatic win.
LAST TIME OUT VS DURHAM
Surrey’s previous clash against Durham was the final game of the 2024 season at the Kia Oval, which culminated with Rory Burns’ Surrey securing a solid victory and being on the brink of completing the historic Three-Peat in front of a healthy home crowd.
A team effort from Surrey’s six-man seam attack, led by Dan Worrall (4/39), bowled out their northern visitors on 262, Colin Ackermann scoring an unbeaten, fighting 78.
A magic Ryan Patel century, his second season-defining hundred at the Kia Oval, as well as half-centuries from Burns (55) and Tom Lawes (58), took Surrey to 415 all out.
Worrall (4/34) was unplayable in the second innings as well, with Sam Curran (4/23) joining the party with a breathtaking spell as Durham were rolled over for 177. Ackermann (40*), to his credit, stayed undefeated and unbeaten, while Emilio Gay (48) also showed promise on his Durham debut after falling for zero in the first innings. Chasing 25 to win, Sibley and Burns got the job done in five overs.
The Three Feathers were under pressure from the chasing pack, in particular Somerset, and they delivered a convincing performance, which confirmed them as county champions the next morning.
DURHAM
Previewed by Graham Hardcastle – ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay
Captain: Alex Lees
Head Coach: Ryan Campbell
2025 position: Sixth (97 points)
2025 highest run-scorer: Graham Clark (552)
2024 highest wicket-taker: Ben Raine (29)
Key winter moves: Experienced Australia A seamer Brendan Doggett has signed an overseas deal for the first two months of the season, supplementing prolific South African batter David Bedingham, who is available all summer aside from any Test Match commitments. Scotland batter Michael Jones has moved to birth-county Lancashire, but three domestic recruits have arrived in the North East; opening batter Emilio Gay, all-rounder Will Rhodes and fast bowler Sam Conners.
What we’re looking forward to seeing: After winning Division Two in 2023, Durham consolidated their top-flight position last season by finishing mid-table courtesy of four wins and five draws. Can they kick on now and give champions Surrey something to think about? England Test captain Ben Stokes, currently sidelined following hamstring surgery, could return to county colours during the early stages of the summer as he builds up to blockbuster series against India and Australia this year.
Final thought: It will be fascinating to chart the progress of three highly-rated homegrown youngsters as they tackle a summer in which Alex Lees will captain Durham’s Championship team alongside their white-ball sides. Opening batter Ben McKinney scored an England Lions century against Australia A this winter and is targeting a breakthrough campaign, while fast bowlers Daniel Hogg and James Minto can further progress after brief – and exciting – exposure in last summer’s Rothesay County Championship.
