Strauss finds form at last
Andrew Strauss used his return to the scene of his Ashes-winning triumph last summer to rediscover his batting form for Middlesex in their London derby against Surrey.
18-May-2010
Andrew Strauss used his return to the scene of his Ashes-winning triumph last summer to rediscover his batting form for Middlesex in their London derby against Surrey.
Strauss finished the second day of the County Championship Division Two
clash on 54 not out after earlier watching former England batsman Mark
Ramprakash turn an overnight century into a superb 223 as Surrey totalled 490. With Scott Newman also hitting an unbeaten 79 in his first match against his
former county, Middlesex reached 148 for 0 in reply by the close.
England captain Strauss certainly needed some runs in his last county
appearance before the start next week of the two-Test series against
Bangladesh.
In 11 previous Championship innings for Middlesex this season, Strauss had made
only 262 runs at an average of 23.81, with just one half-century. In three
further Clydesdale Bank 40 one-day innings, he had managed only another 60 runs
with a top score of 26.
Strauss, who missed the short winter tour to Bangladesh in order to rest, also
had to watch from afar as Paul Collingwood and the England Twenty20 team became
world champions with their magnificent victory against Australia in the
Caribbean on Sunday.
He would not have wanted to link up again with England without some significant
runs behind him and it was his good fortune to find himself batting on a true
Oval surface.
Ramprakash's innings, too, showed Strauss just what was possible as the 40-year
old moved on majestically from his overnight 125. It was Ramprakash's 11th double-ton for Surrey, putting him just one behind Sir
Jack Hobbs' county record of 12. Hobbs, though, made 144 centuries for Surrey;
this was Ramprakash's 57th three-figure score for the county.
In addition, Ramprakash moved into joint fifth position in the all-time list of
first-class double-century makers when he thrashed a short ball from Dawid Malan
through the covers for four. He now has sixteen in his career, putting him level
with Hobbs, CB Fry and Graeme Hick.
Gary Wilson hit 10 fours in an excellent 62, dominating the strike and the
scoring in an 88-run stand with Ramprakash for Surrey's seventh wicket, before
he was stumped giving Malan the charge.
Ramprakash was eventually ninth out, hitting high to long on, after facing 395
balls and striking a six and 26 fours in a 564-minute stay at the crease.
Surrey also announced during the day that Younis Khan, the former Pakistan
batsman, will be joining the club until mid-July and could be in the country in
time to play in Friday's Clydesdale Bank 40 fixture against Glamorgan in
Cardiff.
Surrey professional cricket manager Chris Adams said: "I am confident that
bringing a world class player such as Younus Khan to Surrey will have a very
positive effect on the side.
"As well as benefiting from the weight of runs we hope he will bring, we have
a number of young batsman who will doubtless benefit greatly from being able to
train and play alongside him."
Brian Lara, however, will not be joining Surrey for the Friends Provident T20
following talks between the club and the great West Indian, and Indian
leg-spinner Piyush Chawla - Surrey's original overseas signing for this season -
has been refused permission to play county cricket by the BCCI.
