Surrey travel to Edgbaston to face Warwickshire in a mouth-watering Rothesay County Championship clash, looking to make it back-to-back wins following the three-day victory over Somerset in late April.
SURREY SQUAD
The Three Feathers are boosted with the arrival of Nathan Smith and Kurtis Patterson, plus the inclusion of Jason Roy. Tom Lawes returns to the squad for the first time this season.
As ECB centrally contracted players, Ollie Pope, Gus Atkinson and Jamie Smith are unavailable for this fixture.
HOW CAN I KEEP UP WITH PLAY?
The match will be broadcast live on Warwickshire;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 Hove, with clips and highlights posted throughout the day. A written report and highlights will be available at the end of each day’s play.
LAST TIME OUT
Surrey emphatically beat Somerset by eight wickets to claim a first victory of the season. Jordan Clark took 5/68 as Surrey were dismissed for 283 on the first day of the match. Tom Lammonby hit 76 before a counterassault from captain Lewis Gregory took Somerset to the competitive total.
Half-centuries from Rory Burns (76), Dom Sibley (53), Jamie Smith (58) and a crucial unbeaten 55 from Dan Lawrence helped Surrey to 367, a first innings lead of 84. Surrey ripped through Somerset on the third day to leave them 119 all out. Dan Worrall (3/16), Jordan Clark (3/24) and James Taylor (2/29) were unplayable, leaving Somerset 38/7 after lunch.
Surrey knocked off the required 35 runs for the loss of two wickets to secure a victory inside eight sessions. The Three Feathers took 22 points from the match.
WARWICKSHIRE
Previewed by Brian Halford – ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay
Captain: Alex Davies
Head Coach: Ian Westwood
2024 finish: Seventh
2024 highest run-scorer: Alex Davies (1,115)
2024 highest wicket-taker: Olly Hannon-Dalby (50)
Key winter moves: The era of transition continues at Edgbaston with a new head coach, Ian Westwood replacing Mark Robinson, and performance director, James Thomas replacing Gavin Larsen. Two key players have departed (Will Rhodes to Durham and Michael Burgess to retirement). In has come Ethan Bamber from Middlesex while the squad will be patched up with four overseas players: Tom Latham (all season), Vishwa Fernando (April), Beau Webster (May-July) and Hasan Ali (May-September).
What we’re looking forward to seeing: New Zealand batter Tom Latham arrives for his first sustained crack at county cricket, having previously paid fleeting visits to Durham, Kent and Surrey. Two of their linchpin runscorers having chosen to leave during the winter, Warwickshire will look to the 32-year-old for match-shaping runs. Latham will be aiming to harvest more happy memories of Edgbaston where he scored the winning runs in New Zealand’s eight-wicket Test victory in 2021.
Player to watch: Ed Barnard’s first two seasons at Edgbaston have not been successful ones for the team but the former Worcestershire player has quietly, impressively enhanced his own reputation as an all-rounder potentially capable of pushing himself into England contention. Productive and, at times, imperious with the bat, he was also a key member of the seam attack in 2024, finishing second top wicket-taker behind the excellent Olly Hannon-Dalby.
Final thought: Warwickshire’s supporters are becoming impatient after several seasons of drift, particularly in red-ball cricket. Ian Westwood, having completed the path from Under 10s player to head coach, must get some stability and consistency into the team. Warwickshire’s 1972 County Championship triumph was followed by a miserable decade. A strong season is needed to assure their supporters that their 2021 triumph will not be followed by a similarly thin era.
LAST TIME OUT VS WARWICKSHIRE
Surrey beat Warwickshire by nine wickets at the Kia Oval last May. Ed Barnard’s 108 took the Bears to a competitive first innings total of 343.
Jamie Smith showcased his talent with a fine 155 as Surrey replied with an emphatic 464. Smith was supported by Ben Foakes (52) and Sean Abbott’s unbeaten half-century.
The ‘Destroyer of Bears’ – Kemar Roach, was once again Warwickshire’s nemesis. His second innings 6/46 ripped through the visitors’ top order to leave them 209 all out. Surrey knocked off the required 89 runs early on the fourth day to take the victory and 24 crucial points.
