Surrey host Somerset in a mouth-watering Rothesay County Championship clash at the Kia Oval, with both sides looking for their first win of the 2025 season.
Play will get underway at 11:00am, with a Dukes ball being used.
SURREY SQUAD
Jamie Smith returns to the 15-player squad for the visit of Somerset.
HOW CAN I KEEP UP WITH PLAY?
The match will be broadcast live on Surrey’s YouTube channel. A link to the stream will be available on the Surrey Match Centre and social media channels. Adam Collins, Daniel Norcross, Cameron Ponsonby, Phil Walker and Yas Rana return to commentary duties for the 2025 season.
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 and Out’ podcast will return for all four days of the Somerset clash.
LAST TIME OUT
Surrey were held to a draw on a docile pitch at Sussex. Sussex posted 435 thanks to Tom Haines’ 174. Gus Atkinson starred with the ball. The England quick bowled with plenty of pace, finishing with four wickets to his name.
Ollie Pope and Dan Lawrence scored scintillating centuries at a quick pace as Surrey responded with 490, claiming full batting bonus points. Surrey batted with intent to set a game up, but ultimately the pitch and the weather came out on top. Surrey gave themselves two sessions to bowl Sussex out, but openers Dan Hughes and Haines stood firm for over four hours before bad light forced handshakes.
SOMERSET
Previewed by Richard Latham – ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay
Captain: Lewis Gregory
Head Coach: Jason Kerr
2024 finish: Third
2024 highest run-scorer: Tom Lammonby (941)
2024 highest wicket-taker: Jack Leach (45)
Key winter moves: South African all-rounder Migael Pretorius has been re-signed for the whole of the 2025 season and should be available for all formats, strengthening both the batting and bowling departments.
What we’re looking forward to seeing: How Will Smeed will adapt to Championship cricket. At the age of 23, the scorer of the first-ever century in The Hundred has changed his mind about concentrating solely on white-ball cricket and is ready to add his considerable skills to a Somerset team who have struggled for consistent top-order runs in the four-day format. Smeed may have to be patient in awaiting his chance, but provides a hugely talented new option for a top six batting place.
Final thought: Somerset are employing a Performance Psychologist this season and much could depend on how the players respond mentally to the bitter disappointment of making a sustained challenge for all three domestic trophies last season without winning any of them. The finale of that campaign proved a huge anti-climax, but the team still finished third in the Championship and there is no reason why they should not be up there fighting for a first ever title again.
