Marcus Hook’s Surrey CCC column: Jamie Smith is like an artful and adept pickpocket

Surrey have opened up a significant gap in Division One of the County Championship on both second-placed Essex and third-placed Somerset, following a third successive victory

Head coach Gareth Batty described his side’s nine-wicket win over Warwickshire, which puts the South Londoners 21 points clear at the head of affairs, as a “real team performance and a pretty pleasing one all-round.”

But the Bears’ skipper Alex Davies summed it up best when he said: “Surrey have shown in this game why they are champions.”

The entrance of Sean Abbott, as second overseas player, just adds even more star quality to a side packed with talent – although his arrival is timely with Tom Lawes (Achilles) and Jamie Overton (back) sidelined.

Even so, when I saw Surrey’s 13-man squad ahead of the Warwickshire match, my first thought was: ‘Which bowler makes way for Abbott?’

There was an argument for leaving out Kemar Roach, who, at that stage, had only taken six championship wickets at a cost of 45.66. But the Barbadian dismissed any such notion with a display of world-class seam bowling on day three en route to figures of 6-46.

I reckon even if Roach had told Sam Hain and Aamer Jamal what he was about to bowl to them, they’d have still got out.

But the catalyst for Warwickshire’s deterioration was Abbott’s incredible caught and bowled to dismiss Ed Barnard, who was starting to prove a thorn in Surrey’s side for the second time in the contest.

“Sean Abbott’s caught and bowled was one of the best I’ve seen,” said Roach. “He’s a great athlete, and that was much needed to break their best partnership of the innings.

“I particularly liked my ball that bowled Hain, because he is a real quality player.

“It was a committed team performance in the field. We stuck well to our plans with the pitch also offering a little bit of uneven bounce.”

When asked how he rated Jamie Smith’s 155, Roach replied: “Jamie is one of my favourite players. The way he bats is top-notch and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see him in England colours very soon.”

At times, such is the graceful way Smith goes about his business, he’s like a pickpocket who relieves his victims of their possessions without them realising it.

Even in contemporary circles Jamie’s strike rate this season of 91.47 runs per 100 balls is considered rapid for the County Championship.

With five games banked, they say the table doesn’t lie, but there can’t have been many who foresaw Lancashire propping up Division One.

Worcestershire, in seventh, travel to The Oval as one of the top flight’s four winless teams.

Ominously for them, two of the other three have already succumbed heavily to Surrey.

But despite being widely tipped to go straight back down this season, the Pears have given a decent account of themselves so far. Last week they put

Kent’s attack to the sword, much as Surrey did when they travelled to Canterbury, by making more than 600.

Not only are they grieving for team-mate Josh Baker, who died recently at the age of 20, Worcestershire are also being forced to play their home games at Kidderminster due to recurrent flooding at Worcester.

Indeed, it looks increasingly likely the return four-day fixture with Surrey on June 23-26 will also be at Kidderminster, preceded by the bulk of Worcestershire’s home games in the T20 Blast.

PICTURE: KEITH GILLARD