My knowledge of Warwickshire bowlers is limited, not to say non-existent. Do they have the players to bowl out Surrey, or will Surrey batsmen (OK, batters) progress towards an inevitable victory?
Hannon-Dalby and Norwell are good bowlers for sure. And Brad will be extremely motivated to get wickets. However Surrey do have an excellent batting line up so I would expect them to chase it down. But it's not a foregone conclusion.
Yes, it might be a blessing in disguise in that, with the ball nipping about, we might even get a Warwickshire win rather than just a draw. However, I would still expect Surrey to go ahead and chase their target, thereby taking away another opportunity for us to close the gap on them.
Tom, you raise an interesting point: If (OK, a big 'if') Brad Wheal bowls out of his skin and gets a fifer, or better, could Surrey call 'foul' on Hampshire, as we loaned Wheal to Warwickshire?
No, it's perfectly allowed. Warks had an injury crisis and needed to loan a bowler at the end of the day.
This is one of those 'spirit of the law' debates: Loaning players is allowed, but that won't stop Surrey from feeling unhappy with the decision. Not that I care, you understand.
This averages out at 100 per session (Almost 250, in two and a half sessions). Surrey may have to swing the bat, unless they are happy with a draw.
They've got 82 overs. That's 3 an over. Unless they lose a load of wickets early on they will go for the win.
So, Wheal to get a hat-trick, early on. And we buy Messi, as he's always liked Saints, and wants to live near his work. Pre-lunch beer is always good at raising my spirits!
Yes, it is frustrating that Surrey appear to be getting wins from unlikely match situations but it's the same as Hants kept doing in the T20 I suppose.
