After the mayhem of the fiasco at the Fortress I needed some stability and so arrive at the Kia Oval in good time for Day 3 of Surrey v Worcestershire.

On Friday we had 17 wickets falling with Surrey progressing to 213 and Worcester in trouble with 7 down. They succumbed yesterday to give Surrey a lead of 85 on first innings.

Surrey exploited that lead to end yesterday on 342/6 with both Lawrence and Clark heading for their centuries this morning.

Lawrence went quickly for 87, Clark on 98 while Abbott threw in his lot for 38 before the innings ended at 427. Worcester need 513 to win – the psychological 500 was the key point and have a tricky session before lunch.

Wickets fell in quick order through the innings and no one until Smith (the Kiwi) on 43no at tea and Gibbon 20no at tea brought the hint of the possibility of some respectability and reached tea on 145/8 – still 368 needed. Passing their first innings total of 128 in the process!

Tea is delayed as 8 wickets are down but the final breakthrough will have to wait! Worcestershire 145/8.

Lawrence opens the bowling after tea (imo…absolute filth) and has a spell of 1/49 off three overs – and the wicket of Nathan Smith for 60 coming off an almighty skyer – so high that planes flying into Heathrow would probably need diverting! But a gift nonetheless.

The next half hour or so is entertaining hitting from Gibbon and then Singh as they add 58 off seven overs before Ben Gibbon slog sweeps Lawrence for 75 and it’s all over!

The wickets are spread among the bowlers but Worrall with four is by far the best and at times as unplayable as we’ve seen him all season.

Thinking back, what odds could I have got at 11.20 on Friday when Surrey were 15/4 and I tell the bookie Surrey will set 513 to win in the 4th innings and will win by 281 runs? I think I would have been regarded as needing medical attention!

But this team – as I’ve said many times – does not know when it’s beaten and is a really excellent team!

Imagine as a coach, you’re encouraging your bats to see off the first set of fast bowlers only to find Atkinson – rated by some as heir apparent to Anderson – as second change! 🫣

Tomorrow it’s back to the Fortress to see Essex undertake the biggest comeback since…(add your own choice of sportsman, singer, politician, actor, etc)

But in the interim all I can say is that this Surrey side is clinical in the extreme!

@cricket51days