Who are the players to watch? Who’s in the squad? What are their strengths? What are their weaknesses? What is the fixture list? Your questions answered
Coach: Vikram Solanki
Captain: Rory Burns
Overseas: Hashim Amla (South Africa), Kemar Roach (West Indies)
Ins: Jamie Overton (Somerset)
Outs: Scott Borthwick (Durham), Morne Morkel (released)
Fixtures: April 8 – Gloucestershire (a), April 15 – Leicestershire (h), April 22 – Middlesex (a), April 29 – Hampshire (h), May 6 – Leicestershire (a), May 13 – Somerset (a), May 20 – Middlesex (h), May 27 – Gloucestershire (h), July 4 – Hampshire (a), July 11 – Somerset (h)
Remind me what happened last year?
Since winning the County Championship in 2018, Surrey have won just three red-ball matches from a possible 19.
In their opening match of the season, Surrey were bowled out for just 123 in their second innings against Middlesex and lost by 190 runs before heading to Essex and suffering a similarly discouraging 169-run loss. Defeats against Hampshire – an embarrassing defeat which saw Jamie Smith top score in the second innings with 22 not out – and Kent followed to leave the London side with just 14 points from four games.
After losing to Kent, director of cricket Alec Stewart got out the hairdryer and saw immediate results. Licking their wounds heading into their final match against Sussex, Surrey responded brightly to their first innings target of 415 with Rory Burns scoring a century to help his side to 388. They then bowled out Sussex for 128 and successfully chased down 155 with six wickets to spare and finish the season on a high – even if their fifth-place finish didn’t reflect it.
It is worth noting that Surrey had their fair share of absentees last season, losing the Currans, Burns, Ben Foakes, Ollie Pope, Jason Roy, and Reece Topley, to England’s training bubble, Jade Dernbach, Rikki Clarke and Liam Plunkett (to name but a few) to injury, and only having the services of overseas stars Hashim Amla and Morne Morkel for one match due to Covid-related travel restrictions. While every team suffered from depleted squads, not even Surrey’s deep reserves could cope in 2020 and the above list goes some way to explaining their disappointing season.
Left to right: Daniel Moriarty, Jamie Overton and Ben Foakes
What’s happened over the winter?
Surrey experienced a 70 percent reduction in turnover in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, despite income falling from £45m to £15m, the club are looking financially sound heading in the new season and will witness the completion of the One Oval Square development – which includes increasing the capacity of the ground to 27,500 – by the end of May.
Head coach Vikram Solanki will take charge of his first full season after being tossed the reins last June when Australian coach, Michael di Venuto, opted to leave his post a year early. Having had a full pre-season to prepare, he will be hoping for a brighter start to the red-ball campaign than last year.
Who’s arrived and who’s left?
Two in, two out at Surrey. Jamie Overton has joined the club on a permanent basis after initially moving to the Oval on loan last September. Parachuted into the Surrey side to face Sussex in their final Bob Willis Trophy game, he made an immediate impression with a half-century on debut. The seamer will likely lead Surrey’s four-day pace attack.
The other new face is West Indies international Kemar Roach who will be available for Surrey’s first seven matches of the season. He is another new seam option and has 390 first-class wickets at 26.23 in 122 appearances.
Roach’s signing is, in part, to replace the departing Morne Morkel. The South African, who took 136 wickets in all formats for Surrey, opted against returning to England due to Covid travel restrictions and the likelihood of lengthy periods away from his family. Meanwhile, allrounder Scott Borthwick returned to Durham after four seasons in the capital.
Who will be the key men in 2021?
Hashim Amla will be of enormous value to Surrey this season. The veteran batsman has scored nearly 18,000 first-class runs, including 52 centuries and 88 fifties, and, unlike Burns, Foakes and Co will not disappear off on international duty during the season. He may be rapidly approaching 40 but Amla still has the potential to be a run machine at the Oval.
Keeping Rikki Clarke fit is also a must. The allrounder managed just three appearances last season but still took 13 wickets at 14.61, including a marvellous spell of 5 for 20 in the second innings against Kent. The season before, Clarke collected 43 wickets in 14 matches – a total bettered only by Morkel – and with the South African no longer in the squad, the burden on Clarke to be the experienced bowler is even greater.
However, while they are boosted by the return of several England internationals to their ranks, Jason Roy is no longer available for April or May after being called up to the IPL by Sunrisers Hyderabad. He will miss Surrey's first eight matches alongside Tom Curran (Delhi Capitals) and Sam Curran (Chennai Super Kings).
One to watch
Several young players seized their opportunities in 2020. Batsman Will Jacks scored 248 runs in five matches while 20-year old Jamie Smith struck a team-leading 274 runs, including a top-score of 80, from the middle-order.
However, the standout performer was Dan Moriarty. On his debut, the 22-year old spinner dismissed Middlesex’s top five, including captain Steve Eskinazi and former England international Sam Robson, in the second innings to finish the match figures with of 6/118. Waiting until the final match of the season for his second appearance, Moriarty took 11 wickets to end his debut campaign with 17 wickets at 17.71.
Only Amar Virdi took more wickets (22) than Moriarty and their spin partnership is one of this season’s most exciting prospects not just at Surrey, but across the County Championship.
What can we expect from this team this season?
Barring another season of injuries and player unavailability, Vikram Solanki should feel confident of replicating Surrey’s white-ball form in 2020 in the red-ball arena this season. In Group Two with Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Leicestershire, Middlesex and Somerset, the club should be focused on achieving nothing less than a top two finish and a strong challenge for the County Championship title.
Their squad seamlessly blends young talent, England internationals, and aging stars to create a balanced, all-round unit with enviable depth. It’s time to banish the memories of 2020 and channel their Championship-winning mentality from a few years ago.
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