Match times, streaming information, tickets and travel, team news, head-to-head record, weather forecast, prediction, and everything else you need to know ahead of the latest round of the LV= Insurance County Championship...
Fixture: Surrey v Somerset
Venue: The Kia Oval, Kennington
Dates: Sunday, July 11, 2021 - Wednesday, July 14, 2021
Start time: 11am
What's the lowdown?
Somerset look to secure a place in the top tier against a Surrey side who still have championship ambitions.
Last season's Bob Willis Trophy runners-up lead the way on 134 points, knowing a draw will keep them in the top two.
Surrey meanwhile after 17 points behind Gloucestershire and need favours from those around them to progress. Victory at The Oval would be a good place to start.
Who's in form?
It is hard to ignore Hashim Amla's returns, with his 643 runs seeing him lead the run-scoring charts for Surrey.
He provided another reminder as to his resilience with a fourth day 37 from 278 balls to save the game against Hampshire.
Like Surrey, Somerset's bowling attack has been regularly rotated. It would be more pertinent therefore to focus on the batting. Devon Conway has wasted little time finding his way, having scored 88 on his first-class debut for the county.
Steven Davies has been unerringly consistent with four fifties in 12 innings but with Tom Abell out there remains a chasm of runs that need replacing.
Last five first-class matches (most recent first)
Surrey: DWDDD
Somerset: DDDDW
Head-to-head first-class record
Total matches: 178
Surrey wins: 80
Somerset wins: 34
Draws: 64
Abandoned: 2
What's the team news?
Surrey have signed Ravi Ashwin for this match as an overseas replacement for Sean Abbott. Kyle Jamieson and Ollie Pope are the latest additions to a lengthening injury list.
Surrey squad: Rory Burns, Hashim Amla, Ravi Ashwin, Jordan Clark, Rikki Clarke, Ben Geddes, Conor McKerr, Daniel Moriarty, Jamie Overton, Ryan Patel, Jamie Smith, Mark Stoneman, Amar Virdi
The visitors are without Abell due to injury, while Tom Banton and Jack Leach are in self-isolation. Craig Overton and Lewis Gregory are with England and Josh Davey misses out. James Hildreth captains the side.
Somerset squad: James Hildreth, Kasey Aldridge, George Bartlett, Jack Brooks, Eddie Byrom, Devon Conway, Steve Davies, Marchant de Lange, Lewis Goldsworthy, Ben Green, Tom Lammonby, Jack Leach, Roelof van der Merwe
Latest Surrey news: Click here
Latest Somerset news: Click here
Who's said what?
Despite only needing a handful of points to progress, Somerset coach Jason Kerr says his side will be going full throttle for the win.
"This is our last game in this round of the Championship and we need to finish on a high," he said. "The aim is to be in division one, so we need to take a few points from the game if we want to finish in the top two.
"We will be going there looking to win the game, and in that sense it’s no different to the first game of the season. We will be looking to set our stall out and play the better cricket over the four days.
“Our philosophy will never change. We will put the best eleven available to us out on to the field and we will believe in those eleven. Whoever is selected will have a responsibility to maintain the standards that we’ve set over the summer.
“We need to stay focused, stay in the moments and play good cricket for four days.”
What's the weather forecast?
Keep up to date with the MetOffice’s rolling forecast for The Oval: Click here
How do I follow the match?
TV/stream: Surrey will offer live coverage of the match via their website: Click here
All LV= County Championship matches are also available via the ECB's central hub: Click here
The matches can also be viewed on mobile via the ECB app.
Radio: BBC Local Radio and the BBC Sport website will carry ball-by-ball radio commentary of the game.
Digital: The Cricketer will carry live scorecards and daily updates from every LV= County Championship match in 2021, as well as the latest breaking news from around the counties and exclusive features. Visit our County Hub for more.
Going to the game?
Tickets
Tickets are available for this fixture. Adults £15, under-16s £5.
Click here to access Surrey's box office.
Travel
Address: Kennington Oval, London SE11 5SS
By car: No match-day parking is available at, or in the vicinity of the ground, and we advise all customers to use public transport. We only offer parking to Blue Badge holders on a first come first serve basis.
The ground is situated on the A202, near the junction with the A3 and A24, just south of Vauxhall Bridge and 10-minutes from Victoria and Waterloo.
By train: Use South Western Railway trains into Vauxhall station, which is a 10-minute walk from the ground. The station is well served by trains throughout Surrey and Hampshire as well as from the Greater London area.
By underground: The Kia Oval is just a one-minute walk away from Oval underground station, which is situated in South London on the Northern line. It is on your left as you leave the main entrance of the station. The ground is also a 10-minute walk from Vauxhall which is situated on the Victoria line.
By bus: Route numbers 36, 185 and 436 stop outside the ground and other local services stop around the corner. The following buses pass within a 5-minute walk of the ground: 3, 59, 109, 133, 159, 333.
Prediction?
Both sides have been gutted by injuries and international obligations. On a flat Oval pitch a draw seems likely.
OTHER ROUND 11 MATCH PREVIEWS
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
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