Marcus Hook’s Surrey CCC column: I’d sign two overseas openers for next season
BY MARCUS HOOK
Another week, another defeat, but this time it was a case of so near and yet so far, as Surrey fell agonisingly short of chasing down the 192 they needed to beat Kent.
When you’re in the kind of rut that Surrey find themselves, character is what’s needed. The fact that the Oval outfit came so close to breaking their season’s duck owed everything to those players who showed they were up for a challenge.
Ben Foakes was absolutely brilliant, hitting not just the game’s only century, but also an assured 57, when practically all around him were in the grip of another mesmerising display of medium-pace bowling from Surrey’s nemesis, Darren Stevens.
All seven of the wickets Stevens picked up were precisely the scalps Kent needed at that moment in time. The 44-year-old has just signed a contract extension – maybe on the strength that, whatever happens with schedules next year, Kent will still be playing Surrey.
The other standout performers against Kent were Rikki Clarke, Sam Curran, Laurie Evans and Adam Finch. Evans has now agreed a permanent move to the Oval, where he started his career back in 2009. Alec Stewart should also seriously consider luring Finch, who is on loan from Worcestershire, to SE11.
Quite whether Finch would have played against Kent, had Morne Morkel not turned an ankle on the first morning, is debatable.
But, for me, Adam has everything one looks for in a fast bowler – accuracy, pace and height. At 20, he’s only going to get better.
Next season teams will be allowed to field two overseas players. The move has come about because all Kolpak registrations will be terminated at the end of this year, due to the UK’s departure from the EU.
If I was in Alec’s shoes, another thing I would contemplate is signing two overseas openers. In the eight Bob Willis Trophy innings this season, Surrey have been one wicket down for 9, 14, 1, 27, 18, 5, 2 and 6.
When they come to play their final four-day game of the season, the Oval outfit will start it with just three players averaging over 17.75 with the bat in the Bob Willis Trophy – Foakes (87.50), Smith (34.42) and Evans (28.66).
With this summer’s Test series done and dusted, the hope is that Surrey will now welcome back Rory Burns and Ollie Pope.
Unfortunately, Pope has aggravated the shoulder that kept him out for three months last summer.
It’s the last thing the Oval outfit wanted going into the Vitality Blast.
Surrey’s 12/1 odds to win the T20 look wildly optimistic given the injury list they’re starting the competition with; coupled with Tom Curran and Jason Roy being in England’s white-ball squads. Apart from anything else, you can back defending champions Essex at 10/1.
I’m keeping my money safely in my pocket, but I will make one prediction – the Blast will be carried off by the team that not only stays healthy, but also peaks at the right time.