Jamie Smith falls brief however Surrey reinforce commanding place over Middlesex

Surrey 380 (Smith 97, Burns 88) lead Middlesex 209 (Robson 76, Malan 66, Worrall 5-48) and 128 for 3 (Holden 42*, Clark 1-3) by 43 runs

The climate apps lied to the three,000-odd individuals who turned up on the Kia Oval on Saturday. It was not sunny, nor was it heat. The “real feel” overshot by about 10 levels. Of the issues Saturday promised, this was the most important lie. It was additionally the one one.

Coming into day three of this encounter, the scope was of Surrey asserting dominance or Middlesex exhibiting some mongrel. By the top, each had performed out to a degree. A primary-innings lead of 171 was established, then whittled all the way down to 43 in 41 overs of dogged resistance that actually raised the temperature below the collars of these out on the sector.

This London Derby all the time tends to shock with its ill-feeling, and this was no completely different. Surrey needed to work tougher than they’d have appreciated for 3 second-innings wickets and the ambiance out within the center was gnarly, in one of the best ways potential. This stuff nonetheless issues to those gamers. We’ll get a reminder of simply how a lot on Sunday when tensions will rise just a little extra.

Alas, quantity seven must wait just a little longer, however the 42 runs added was the muse for a doubling of Surrey’s in a single day rating to 380. The 22-year-old set a brand new season-high no less than, beating his 88 in opposition to Warwickshire a few weeks in the past.

There was palpable dismay at his dismissal, significantly as the group swelled as he approached what would have been a second century this 12 months. The first got here in Sri Lanka for England Lions, and alerted the remainder of the nation that this child goes locations. As such, an “I was there when Jamie Smith carried Surrey” was changed with a “I was there when Luke Hollman tied Jamie Smith down and eventually got him to york himself into a stumping”.

From Middlesex’s perspective, it was an overdue dismissal. Smith was dropped on 24, then once more on 55 off the final ball of day two. Even this morning, there have been sufficient performs and misses to surprise if Smith would possibly end Saturday profitable Eurovision.

Most, if not all of that angst got here from the teen’s finish as a result of wickets had been coming fairly frequently on the different. Tim Murtagh wanted simply six deliveries to take out Foakes, due to an distinctive catch by John Simpson standing as much as the stumps.

The Middlesex wicketkeeper spent a lot of the morning together with his helmet on, making all the pieces just a little extra claustrophobic for the batters. Will Jacks did not appear bothered at first, standing in his crease to carry Bamber over large mid-on for six to degree Middlesex’s first-innings rating of 209 for the lack of simply 4 wickets.

Bamber would get his revenge, Jacks neither ahead nor again with Simpson respiratory down his neck, permitting sufficient room between bat and pad for a supply to nip by means of and take off stump. Similar indeterminate footwork did for Jordan Clark, slapping Ryan Higgins to backward level.

Upon Smith’s departure, the lead was solely 74 however an extended tail delivered as the ultimate 4 contributed 101 with the bat. Abbott and Worrall had been the primary grantors, albeit in wildly completely different types. Abbott was prim and correct; attacking little doubt, significantly as he danced down the monitor and slapped Higgins into the stands in entrance of the Pavilion on the stroke of lunch, however in a relaxed, calculated method.

Emerging after the break, Abbott took the lead from 82 to 131 earlier than falling wanting a second half-century of the season, inadvertently guiding a supply down onto his stumps. In tagged Worrall for one thing way more agricultural, clearing his entrance leg to smack Higgins down the bottom first ball, then heaving a six over mid-on and smiting a drive on the up for 4 by means of cowl in successive deliveries of the allrounder’s subsequent over.

Roland-Jones finally tamed Worrall with a brief supply by means of to the keeper, after the Australian had seemingly discovered a treatment with a information excessive of the slips. A swat by means of to Simpson (standing again) introduced an attractive innings to a detailed.

With 49 overs to go in opposition to a visiting line-up that had misplaced 9 wickets inside 21.1 overs two days in the past, ideas flip to a potential Sunday off with an Innings victory. Sam Robson and Mark Stoneman knuckled down, getting by means of a 30-minute spell earlier than tea, making certain on the very least Middlesex will struggle one other day.

The openers returned with the identical affected person strategy, not fairly taking it to Surrey’s skilled, seam-laden assault however actually doing sufficient to frustrate them into ball complaints. Midway by means of the thirteenth over, these had been heeded and a alternative referred to as for.

And yep, you guessed it – wickets adopted. Though there was no sense Middlesex had been undone simply by a change of Dukes, they had been actually unfortunate. Not a lot for Robson’s dismissal, snicked off by the spectacular Abbott, however actually for Stoneman’s.

On 28, he went for a wild sq. drive to Gus Atkinson, because the ball shot by means of to Foakes. It turned out the ball attributed to the nick got here by means of bat hitting the ground, with replays exhibiting a transparent hole between bat and ball.

Of course, there isn’t a DRS, although the presence of Sky’s digicam meant Atkinson’s entrance foot was checked by way of stump cam. There had been a handful of high-def replays of potential stumpings and run-outs, with one other coming afterward when Max Holden was virtually seen off for 28 with a direct hit from Rory Burns. Nevertheless, it did really feel an odd ad-hoc overstepping of the same old tips the County Championship is performed below.

Then once more, when you’ve received the expertise there, why not use it? They did so once more to examine Clark’s entrance foot – this time from a parallel digicam – when he trimmed off Eskinazi. It felt a disgrace they did not increase the stump mics within the course of, as Surrey and Eskinazi exchanged a number of phrases earlier than a second send-off after the supply’s legitimacy was confirmed.

You may sense the host’s frustration, which they maybe have themselves accountable for exacerbating after Jacks gave Holden a life on 18, dropping a easy catch at second slip from Kemar Roach. Burns then pulled up the umpires for permitting Holden and Simpson to stroll off after 38 overs.

The gentle was dangerous, however Burns appeared to counsel there was no communication that Surrey’s tempo quintet had been pushing their luck till Worrall went brief to Holden. Burns coaxed the batters again to the center with the providing of pace-off. After a few overs of Jacks’ off-spin sandwiching one in every of medium tempo from Ryan Patel later, stumps was formally referred to as.