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Surrey will be taking on Middlesex in the next round Group 2 fixture of the ongoing County Championship season at the Kennington Oval in London from Thursday (May 20).
The much-anticipated London derby holds great importance for both sides as they are precariously placed in the six-team Group 2 points table.
Surrey are currently fifth in the standings with 59 points from 5 matches, including two losses, two draws and a solitary win. Middlesex are positioned sixth with 44 points from 6 matches out of which they’ve lost five and won just one.
The team coming out victorious will have the chance to turn their campaign around, with the losing team set to further drown in the competition and go near elimination in the first round only.
Key Players
Ollie Pope has been Surrey’s most consistent performer in the County Championship so far. The young right-hand batsman has made 518 runs from six matches at an average of 64.75, including two centuries. Pope is considered the future English star in Test cricket and through his performances in the tournament so far, he is showing why. Pope will be raring to continue his good form in the encounter against Middlesex. Pope struggled to counter R Ashwin during the Test series on the tour of India in February but has bounced back strongly since in familiar circumstances.
Rory Burns is Surrey’s second highest run-maker of the ongoing Championship after six matches. The left-hander has scored 386 runs at an average of 48.25, including five half-centuries. Burns, who ended England’s winter tours to Asia with question marks over his form, has been a batsman rejuvenated and is one of the bright spots for a Surrey side in desperate need for some outright results their way. The 30-year-old will be eyeing a big score against Middlesex as Surrey look to progress on the Group 2 points table.
Kemar Roach has been fantastic for Surrey with the ball this season. The West Indies speedster has taken 13 wickets from his 6 innings in the competition so far at an average of just 23.46. His tournament tally comprises of one five-fer and one ten-wicket haul for the match. Roach is bringing all his experience into play for Surrey and is a lethal weapon up his team’s sleeves in conditions offering him swing and seam movement. Roach has taken 214 wickets from 63 Tests for West Indies at an average of 27.72 with nine five-wicket hauls to his name.
Robert White has been the most consistent batter in an otherwise struggling Middlesex batting unit. He has scored 351 runs from 6 matches at an average of 35.10, including four half-centuries, in difficult batting conditions in the first half of the English summer. White will be hoping to bounce back strongly after enduring a couple of failures in Middlesex’s heavy defeat to Hampshire in the last match. The middle-order batsman will be determined to help his team come out triumphant over Surrey at The Oval.
Sam Robson is second in the list of highest run-getters for Middlesex in the Championship so far. He has scored 386 runs from six matches at an average of 35.09, with one century and one half-century to his name. Robson, who has played 7 Tests for England but has fallen out of favour, will have the opportunity to get a big score and tilt the game in Middlesex’s favour against Surrey. Middlesex will depend heavily on Robson, providing them with a good start at the top of the order.
Tim Murtagh, the former Ireland paceman, has been fantastic with the ball for Middlesex in the Championship so far. The right-arm swing bowler has taken a whopping 25 wickets from 5 matches at 17.12 per piece. Murtagh love for English conditions, offering him swing and seam movement, has been evident through the season. His wealth of experience is extremely crucial to Middlesex’s chances against Surrey. Murtagh has now taken 866 first-class wickets from 241 matches at an average of just 24.55. The 39-year-old has bagged 37 five-wicket hauls to his name in an illustrious red-ball career.
Prediction
A defeat in the London derby could mean ouster from the race to reach the next round of the Championship, with a victory potentially inspiring a team’s comeback and saving them from the embarrassment of elimination.
Both the teams have struggled to stitch collective and consistent performances across departments in the competition so far, with the likes of Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Hampshire positioned above them in the Group 2 points table and only Leicestershire below them in the standings.
Surrey, however, have managed around their issues a lot better than Middlesex and are expected to hold an upper hand in the encounter to be played on their home turf.
