Lawes’ maiden 5 sinks Kent as Surrey cement prime spot into the Championship break

Surrey 362 (Abbott 78, Sibley 60, Bhuiyan 4-65) and 58 for 0 (Burns 36*, Sibley 16*) beat Kent 278 (Evison 77*, Lawes 3-41) and 141 (Muyeye 42, Lawes 5-22) by 10 wickets

Lawes solely turned 20 on Christmas Day – for the file, he solely will get one set of presents – however nearly singlehandedly blitzed Kent within the second innings. Figures of 5 for 22 snuffed out the guests for 141 on day three, handing Rory Burns and Dom Sibley a easy double-figure chase, knocked off so rapidly that the Kia Oval felt compelled to let the a whole bunch of spectators use the bottom as a glorified picnic space for an hour or so after this 10-wicket win had been confirmed.

This was Lawes’ maiden five-wicket haul in first-class cricket, starting late on day two when he modified the path of this match with a 2.4 over spell that accounted for Tawanda Muyeye after which Jack Leaning. The latter was the day’s remaining ball, which means the seamer had two deliveries to complete from the Micky Stewart Pavilion End on Saturday morning. Burns determined to stay with him for longer.

Within seven deliveries, Kent skipper Sam Billings had edged by to Ben Foakes and Zak Crawley – the set batter, arriving in a single day on 31 – had been squared up by a wider launch, edging to Ollie Pope at second slip. At that time, Kent had been six down, Surrey nonetheless a run forward and Lawes boasted absurd figures of 4 for 3. A misdirected bouncer, no-balled because it raced away for 4 byes, put Kent into the lead.

Jordan Cox and Joey Evison did their bit to make Lawes’ figures rather less absurd. The latter, nonetheless, ended up as quantity 5 as Lawes tailed one in late sufficient to sneak by Evison and ship his off stump for a stroll. With the guts ripped out, Lawes stepped apart to permit Sean Abbott and Jordan Clark choose by a Kent line-up in actual strife. Since successful their opening match of the season in opposition to Northamptonshire, Kent have misplaced three out of 4. This, their second inside three days, sends them into the relegation zone.

You may say Lawes’ five-bag was overdue, notably on condition that on 4 earlier events he had needed to make do with 4 in an innings. But this was all the time coming. His 18 wickets throughout six appearances in 2022’s Championship win spoke of undoubted high quality, and gave him the bottom common of the squad (23.72).

Returning this winter, his motion appears to be like somewhat extra like Chris Woakes’, and Burns is definite he has obtained faster. Lawes is a kind of nippy quicks who loses little or no off the pitch, which explains why his quick ball stunned Muyeye and Leaning (bowled off his elbow), and good lengths hit exhausting did for Billings and Crawley. He’s already made it to fifteen dismissals from simply three video games and has additionally pocketed new career-best match figures of eight for 63 after three for 41 within the first innings.

“It’s a very special moment,” stated Lawes of this primary five-wicket haul. “Especially walking off in front of the Pavilion. It’s a memory I’m not going to forget, really. To do it with all the teammates and all our mates. Wonderful memories.

“I wasn’t positive if I used to be going to get a bowl (on the finish of day two). But with two overs on the finish, I used to be going to steam in and try to make one thing occur. To get these two on the finish (Muyeye and Leaning) final night time, that basically arrange in the present day.”

As far as young players at Surrey go, Burns wasn’t sure on where he’d rank, but likened his impact to Sam Curran, who arrived into the first-team at the age of 17 and never looked back. “It’s just like when Sammy got here onto the circuit,” said Burns. “His knack of manufacturing issues – whenever you want a second, he finds it with somewhat little bit of fairy mud.”

Lawes is one of those allrounders in the early stages of their career where one suit is garnering more headlines than the other. Those who’ve been involved in his development through the ranks, both at Surrey and Cranleigh School, emphasise his middle-order activities with the bat.

We got a sight of that last summer when he compiled 318 runs at 53.00 in the Royal London Cup, filling in throughout the sideshow competition as Surrey’s squad was ransacked by the men’s Hundred. A few weeks back, he opened the batting in the second innings with Dan Worrall with just 11 needed for victory against Warwickshire. Lawes somehow ended up with 14 not out after finishing the match with a six into the Hollies Stand.

He was not required to strap the pads on this time around. A target of 58 was probably a little too dear to take the piss, though Burns marched out and set the tone for another quick kill with 10 off the first four deliveries of the fourth innings. The skipper then greeted Jack Leaning’s off-spin with a reverse sweep for six. When 50 was brought up after 9.4 overs, Burns had 33 of them.

With scores level, the left-hander advanced down the track, scuffing a shot over the top off the bowling of Arafat Bhuiyan. It stopped a couple of feet short of the boundary but Burns and Dom Sibley had already crossed and were on their way back to greet each other for a job well done after just in 11.3 overs.

But for the miscued winning run, this was about as perfect a win you could get, completed seven minutes before lunch on day three. The sun just getting to its glorious best, the weekend now open to all possibilities.

The season itself, nonetheless, feels similar to final. Surrey are prime going into the white-ball break, successful 4 of six to date – another than they managed in the identical interval firstly of final season. Even with England call-ups for red- and white-ball obligation, they appear primed to go back-to-back.