Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Foakes makes the most of Banton’s costly spill
BEN Foakes rallied Surrey with 63 at the Kia Oval as the County Championship’s early pacesetters replied with 204 for five to Somerset’s 337 on day two of a hard-fought Division One contest.
Ollie Pope also made an attractive 47 in an 80-run fourth-wicket partnership with Foakes, while Sam Curran scored 44 not out in his first knock of the season following a stress fracture in the back that had sidelined the England all-rounder for six months.
But ex-Australia man Peter Siddle struck an important blow for Somerset when he had Foakes caught at second slip from the last ball of the 59th over, leaving Will Jacks to keep Curran company for ten more overs until play ended for bad light at 6.20pm with 4.5 overs of the day’s allocation unbowled.
The in-form Pope’s innings was only ended by a quite brilliant onehanded diving catch on the deep square leg boundary by Tom Banton, but the same player earlier put down a comparatively easy chance at midwicket when Foakes, on just two, clipped Josh Davey off his pads straight to him.
Surrey would have been 59 for four if Banton had held on to that, so his celebration and smile 24 overs later said it all after he had sprawled to his right and, miraculously, come up with the ball after Pope pulled Craig Overton high with a stroke that the England Test batsman expected would take him to his fifty.
Foakes was then joined by Curran in another good stand of 45 for the fifth wicket, reaching his own halfcentury with a lovely back-foot force through extra cover for four off Jack Brooks – soon after Curran had produced probably the shot of the day with a gorgeous straight-driven four off Davey.
There were ten fours overall for Foakes, who now has 240 runs from his first three Championship innings of the summer after a disappointing Test series against the West Indies last month that brought only 96 at an average of 19.
Curran, superbly on-driving
Siddle for another of his six fours, played an excellent hand and there was also time before stumps for Jacks to hit two quality boundaries to reach ten. It all added up to a creditable Surrey recovery after they had lost their first three wickets inside the opening 18 overs.
Ryan Patel was first to go, for five, well-held at the second attempt in the gully by Jack Leach as the lefthander cut hard at Siddle.
Rory Burns, having batted securely for an hour across lunch for 12, was brilliantly caught off Overton by keeper Steven Davies, who dived across in front of first slip to hold a thick edge as Burns tried to work wide of mid-on off his pads. And it was 48 for three when Hashim Amla deflected a rising ball from Brooks to second slip as he attempted to take his bat away at the last second.
Things might have been different had Banton not dropped Foakes off Davey, but by stumps a match between the division’s top and bottom teams is fascinatingly poised at the halfway mark.
Somerset, resuming on 283 for six after a hard-fought first day, were earlier guided to 337 all out by Tom Abell who took his overnight 121 to a classy unbeaten captain’s innings of 150 that spanned more than seven hours. Abell struck 22 fours and faced 298 balls. Surrey chipped away at Somerset’s lower order, however, with Davey falling for 27 to a chesthigh third slip catch by Jacks off Jordan Clark and Leach, Siddle and Brooks all going cheaply.
Leach, having hung around a while for his six, chipped James Taylor to mid off from a leading edge, Siddle was run out for seven by Curran’s throw from third man as he tried to get back for a second run and last man Brooks edged Reece Topley’s left-arm swing to first slip to go for a duck.