For the last three years it’s fair to say Surrey haven’t been the sum of their parts.
The quality has been there, as was evident when the Oval outfit supplied The Hundred with more players than any other county in 2021; as, indeed, they will this summer, with 13 being picked up in the draft a few weeks ago.
So it’s immensely encouraging to see different players stepping up for the South Londoners when the chips have been down, especially when they have found themselves a bowler light.
For Somerset, who were on the receiving end last week, it was a sorry seventh successive championship defeat, going back to the end of last term. But I still see the Cidermen turning things around.
Lancashire appear the team to fear in the championship, with two wins and a game in hand. But Surrey only have to face them once – right at the end of the season, which could be a winner-takes-all clash.
The signing of Colin de Grandhomme as Surrey’s overseas replacement for Kemar Roach is an interesting one. An all-rounder for a fast bowler. But with the IPL running until the end of May, options were limited.
No doubt the New Zealander’s 174 for Hampshire against the Oval outfit last summer, while still painful, was a big factor.
PICTURE: KEITH GILLARD
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