Sam Curran the latest injury setback for Surrey CCC
All-rounder Sam Curran became the latest addition to Surrey’s injury list.
He pulled his right hamstring on the final morning of the Oval outfit’s third drawn contest out of three in the County Championship, at Beckenham, where they were thwarted by Kent.
It was Curran’s first appearance of the season following his IPL commitments and a week’s rest, enforced on him by the England management.
Paceman Jade Dernbach (calf) and batsman Ollie Pope (shoulder) remain long-term casualties.
Head coach Michael Di Venuto does not want to risk off-spinner Amar Virdi, who is returning from a stress fracture of the back.
“Amar has been playing some second eleven cricket, and has been getting some overs under his belt, but I don’t think he will be ready for the next match, against Warwickshire,” said Di Venuto.
“But I expect Jordan Clark to be available, and Matt Dunn is definitely ready for selection for the first time this summer.”
Clark, recently signed from Lancashire, played in a number of Surrey’s Royal London One-Day Cup games while not 100 per cent fit – due to the county’s chronic injury list and England one-day calls – but he signalled his readiness to return to first-team action by hitting an unbeaten 108 in Surrey second XI’s 253-run win against Gloucestershire at New Malden last week.
Teenage wicketkeeper-batsman Jamie Smith also weighed in with 156 not out as Surrey posted 443-3 declared in their first innings, before Dunn and all-rounder Ryan Patel took six wickets apiece.
With First Division leaders Somerset and second-placed Hampshire winning again in the last round of matches, Surrey’s draw with Kent saw them lose even more ground in the County Championship.
Somerset and Hampshire now have three wins out of four; and Yorkshire – who, like Surrey, have a game in hand – have won two from three.
“It was a real shame to lose Sam Curran early on the final day at Beckenham, and we won’t know the full extent of his injury until we get to see the scans,” said Di Venuto.
“It clearly did not help us in our bid to bowl out Kent on the last day, but it was a good pitch and I was really happy with the effort we put in throughout to try to force the win.
“Overall, too, given that we were 65 for five on the first morning, we performed excellently across the four days.
“There were a lot of very good things to take out of the match – Scott Borthwick making runs on his return from injury, for instance.
“Will Jacks also scored his maiden championship hundred, and did it under real pressure in our first innings.
“Rikki Clarke was superb in the game, after looking a little bit short of a gallop in his first game back from his finger injury in the draw against Somerset at Taunton the previous week.”
PHOTO BY KEITH GILLARD
AN OVER OF STATS
Ball 1 – Warwickshire’s Dominic Sibley, who is facing his former Surrey side for the first time in the County Championship this week, is the youngest player to hit a first-class hundred for the Oval outfit – a feat he achieved six years ago at the age of 18 years and 19 days.
Ball 2 – The next youngest Surrey centurion is Jamie Smith, who was 18 years 255 days when he made 127 against the MCC in Dubai a couple of months ago. Smith is yet to feature in the County Championship, despite hitting an unbeaten 156 for Surrey’s second XI last week.
Ball 3 – Warwickshire, who have started their County Championship campaign with three straight defeats, have just signed Michael Burgess from Sussex. Burgess started out at Surrey – appearing in 14 second eleven Championship games between 2011 and 2014.
Ball 4 – This year is the 25th anniversary of Warwickshire sweeping the board by winning all three of the domestic trophies up for grabs.
Ball 5 – Surrey made a decent start to the 1994 season, winning their first three in the County Championship; but the wheels came off their campaign when they lost four out of the last six (three by an innings) leaving the way clear for Warwickshire to take the title.
Ball 6 – Edgbaston, where Surrey are this week, will play host to the opening Test of this summer’s Ashes series. On all six previous occasions when the Ashes has started in Birmingham, Australia have gone on to win the series.