Match times, streaming information, tickets and travel, team news, weather forecast, form, prediction and everything else you need to know ahead of the latest round of the LV= Insurance County Championship...
Fixture: Surrey v Middlesex
Venue: The Kia Oval
Dates: Thursday, May 20, 2021 - Sunday, May 23, 2021
Start time: 11am
What's the lowdown?
Surrey look to be reversing their early-season slump with a victory and two draws in their last three matches. That about-turn was arrested by the weather in the clash with Somerset, but green shoots of recovery are at least evident.
Middlesex fell to another debilitating defeat at the hands of Hampshire last time out, despite the game being heavily affected by rain. They have won just once this season, that solitary victory coming against this week's opponents. They'll be dreaming of a repeat to help give their red-ball campaign some respectability.
Who's in form?
Surrey have at least shone with the bat. Ollie Pope is naturally their most in-form player, scoring two scintillating hundreds, but with Mark Stoneman and Hashim Amla settling into the season, they have a lot of class alongside him.
Rory Burns is also approaching somewhere near his best, with five fifties to his name. However, it is imperative that he converts one of those into a big score to stamp his authority on the England top order.
Middlesex are really struggling for runs this year, with Sam Robson and Robbie White being the only pair to make telling contributions.
With the ball, Tim Murtagh and young Ethan Bamber have continued to lead the line excellently, securing 46 wickets between them, with the former Ireland Test player having picked up 25 at 17.12.
Last five first-class matches (most recent first)
Surrey: DDWLD
Middlesex: DWWWL
Head-to-head first-class record
Total matches: 266
Surrey wins: 90
Middlesex wins: 78
Tied: 2
Draws: 96
Abandoned: 0
What's the team news?
Surrey: The hosts have named a 14-man squad, with one change, for their London derby with Middlesex. The impressive Reece Topley returns to the fold after being rested against Somerset, with Gus Atkinson making way.
Kemar Roach will play his final match for Surrey before returning to the Caribbean to prepare for the visit of South Africa. Sean Abbott acts as his replacement, having arrived in the country this week and should be available for the next fixture.
England trio Rory Burns, Ollie Pope and Ben Foakes will play their final fixture before linking up with the England squad to prepare for the New Zealand series.
Squad: Rory Burns (c), Hashim Amla, Jordan Clark, Rikki Clarke, Ben Foakes (wk), Will Jacks, Daniel Moriarty, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Kemar Roach, Jamie Smith, Mark Stoneman, Reece Topley, Amar Virdi
Middlesex: Stuart Law names an unchanged squad ahead of their matchup with Surrey. However, the starting XI may change with Tom Helm and Thilan Walallawita waiting in the wings for their opportunity.
Squad: Peter Handscomb (c), Martin Andersson, Ethan Bamber, Blake Cullen, Jack Davies, Nick Gubbins, James Harris, Tom Helm, Tim Murtagh, Sam Robson, John Simpson (wk), Thilan Walallawita, Robbie White
Latest Surrey news: Click here
Latest Middlesex news: Click here
Who's said what?
Middlesex managing director Angus Fraser is thrilled at the prospect of fans returning to cricket from this week.
“The Oval is a magnificent venue and there will be crowds, which will be nice to see supporters back in the ground, and a good challenge because you look at Surrey’s batting line up and it’s quite an impressive one isn’t it?" he said.
“But we got the better of them earlier on this season and hopefully, we can do the same this coming weekend."
What's the weather forecast?
Rain is in the air for the first two days of this contest, but by Saturday morning it will have dissipated, leaving the path clear for a result to be forced in this deeply important fixture.
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 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 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: Adult - £15, Under-16s - £1 - click here for details
Travel
Address: Kennington Oval, London SE11 5SS
By car: No matchday 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?
Middlesex have been under the cosh all year, with memories of their title-winning form in 2016 drifting further into the distance. Surrey haven't been a whole lot better but they're strong favourites here. Home win.
OTHER ROUND SEVEN PREVIEWS
Group 1
Nottinghamshire v Worcestershire
Group 2
Group 3
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