Marcus Hook expertly assesses Surrey CCC’s prospects in the 2022 domestic cricket season

The domestic cricket season emerges from a tumultuous winter next Thursday, with the start of the County Championship. Against a backdrop of the game being hit by accusations of both racism and inequality in terms of access, the England team have underwhelmed to such an extent the Championship’s fitness for purpose is now under question like never before.

In 2000, the introduction of promotion and relegation increased competitiveness and readied up-and-coming players for the challenges of the international stage.

But, since then, the competition has been increasingly pushed to the bookends of the domestic schedule, forcing batters to take their chance against the deviating ball.

This summer, less than a third of County Championship fixtures will be played in the months of June, July and August.

If England’s top order should have a mastery of anything, it should, therefore, be the moving ball. But no. In delivering the final blow in seamer-friendly conditions, in Grenada, the West Indies attack only faced resistance from two front-line batters – Alex Lees and Jonny Bairstow.

England have juggled personnel in an effort to identify who cuts the mustard and who doesn’t, but back-to-back Test series defeats, in Australia and then the Caribbean, has left those in charge with most of the options exhausted.

Surrey’s Rory Burns and Ollie Pope were jettisoned along the way, which is good news for the Oval outfit, because both will be keen to start the season with a bang in an effort to re-state their case.

Burns’ ungainly dismissal to the first ball of the Ashes at the beginning of December was one of the images of the Test series down under, and not one the South Londoners’ skipper will want to be remembered for.

Hashim Amla, Jamie Smith and Ryan Patel – who has shone with the bat in the pre-season friendlies against Sussex and Middlesex – will complete Surrey’s top five. But there will be no Jason Roy, who announced an indefinite break from all cricket, after pulling out of this year’s Indian Premier League to spend time with his family.

In addition to Amla, Kemar Roach will initially fill the other overseas berth.

The 33-year-old seamer, who was West Indies’ joint leading wicket-taker in the recent series against England, impressed in his five Championship outings for Surrey last summer (notching up 22 scalps at an average of 20.54).

Dan Worrall, an Australian dual national, has been recruited to bolster the seam attack, following the retirements of Rikki Clarke, Jade Dernbach and Liam Plunkett.

Worrall, who bagged 43 first-class wickets at 22.53 in two spells for Gloucestershire, will vie for inclusion alongside Reece Topley and all-rounders Jordan Clark and Jamie Overton.

Were it not for back injuries to Sam and Tom Curran, Surrey would have few worries in terms of where the wickets will come.

But Chris Jordan, who returns to the Oval following seven seasons with Sussex, will be available when his England white-ball and IPL commitments permit.

Notwithstanding the retirement of Gareth Batty – who joins a much-changed backroom line-up as assistant coach – the Oval outfit will be well equipped when spin comes into the equation, with two of the most promising twirlers in the country in slow left-armer Don Moriarty and off-spinner Amar Virdi to call on.

Moriarty’s record of 35 first-class wickets in just six outings ought to put him ahead of Virdi in the reckoning. When conditions dictate just one spinner is needed, it could come down to whether the opposition’s batting order is more right-handed than left.

Ben Foakes will don the wicketkeeper’s gloves, with Smith deputising if and when Foakes is needed by England.

Surrey’s four-day form in recent years – 13 defeats and just five victories since winning the County Championship in 2018 – sees them start the campaign as one of the unfancied sides.

With 10 teams (instead of eight) now making up Division One, no longer will everyone play everyone else home and away, which only serves to further undermine the competition’s status and intended purpose of being the breeding ground for future talent.

That said, the 14-match schedule has been kind to Surrey, who will only have to do battle once with each of the joint favourites Essex and Lancashire.

The Oval outfit will be a different proposition in the two limited-overs competitions. Last year, their young charges reached the semi-finals of the 50-over Royal London Cup.

With Jordan taking over as skipper of a T20 side that will include West Indian mystery spinner Sunil Narine and Laurie Evans – who has opted for a white-ball only contract – all bases would appear to be covered.

In the women’s arena, everyone is keen to see if 17-year-old Alice Capsey can pick up where she left off last season for the South East Stars, who won the final of the 20-over Charlotte Edwards Cup.

 

THREE WHO WILL BE KEY

Chris Jordan
With his proven ability to bowl at the death, England’s leading T20 wicket-taker will be key if Surrey are to progress to the knockout phase of the Vitality Blast for only a third time in seven seasons.

 

Jamie Overton
Overton can turn it on with both bat and ball, and in all formats. The 27-year-old fast bowler is also one of the safest pair of hands in the country in the slips, which Surrey will be relieved about following the retirement of Rikki Clarke.

 

Jamie Smith
Still only 21, Smith has been handed the vice-captaincy on a full-time basis after leading an Oval outfit stripped of its leading lights (due to The Hundred) to the semi-finals of last season’s Royal London, scoring 315 runs at an average of 63.00 along the way.