Marcus Hook’s Surrey CCC column – great to see Rory Burns getting some runs in second innings at Old Trafford

Despite being held to a draw by Lancashire, Surrey made an impressive start in defence of their title at Old Trafford – a ground where, let’s face it, the South Londoners have struggled to make any impression in recent years

In both innings, Ben Foakes did what Ben Foakes does with the bat – weighing up the situation and adapting flawlessly.

Equally satisfying were Cameron Steel’s unbeaten 141 and a knock from Jamie Smith on the first day that simply oozed class.

Sean Abbott was an instant hit with the ball and it was also great to see Rory Burns get some runs under his belt in Surrey’s second dig.

Burns remains one of the most consistent openers in the country, but whether sheer weight of runs will be enough in this Bazball era to get him back into the England team is up for debate.

The Surrey skipper says that adding more silverware to his CV, rather than winning a Test recall, is the thing that’s uppermost in his mind.

“Every morning, as I walk in to the Oval, I walk past the run of Surrey County Championship- winning teams, and every time I look at it I just want to stick another one on the wall down there,” said Burns.

“Our challenge as a squad is coming at it with the same intensity we did last year, because that’s how we won our games – by taking the opposition out of the equation.

“It was a very pleasing four days at Old Trafford. The way we went about our business, to hit the ground running like that, and be right where we wanted to be at the start of day four, was pretty impressive.

“I can’t really fault the effort. There were some very good individual performances over the four days, but the way we went about things as a team is the most pleasing thing. It was solid, but there was a bit of panache in there, and I’m pretty happy to use that word.

“The next challenge is to back up that performance and go about things in the same way.”

PICTURE: KEITH GILLARD