da brdice： Surrey fought back defiantly in their CricInfo Championship game at TheOval today, frustrating second-placed Lancashire with valuable eighthand ninth-wicket stands
Colin Evans29-Jun-2001Surrey fought back defiantly in their CricInfo Championship game at TheOval today, frustrating second-placed Lancashire with valuable eighthand ninth-wicket stands.Thanks to Alex Tudor, Martin Bicknell and Ian Salisbury, Surreyachieved some respectability, reaching 248 all out after slumping to141-7.Bicknell was last out for a painstaking 50, bowled by MuttiahMuralitharan who finished with 5-81.It was an intriguing first day between the teams who have finishedtop and runners-up in the Championship for the past two years.Muralitharan produced another marathon spell of 39.4 overs and, as wellas Bicknell’s three-hour half-century, there was a superb 59 from MarkRamprakash, who is among the candidates to replace Graham Thorpe if hefails to recover from a calf injury in time for the first Ashes Testnext Thursday.Lancashire’s seamers made early inroads after Adam Hollioake had wonthe toss and, when Murali sent back Ali Brown, Surrey were in trouble at91-4. Ramprakash pulled Murali for a six on the way to his 50, but theSri Lankan was his usual persistent, probing self and was to have thelast say.In between his successes, however, Surrey hauled their way from theedge of disaster with Tudor and Bicknell chiselling out 34 for theeighth wicket. Then Bicknell and Salisbury stacked up 62 for theninth.Lancashire were running out of ideas but Murali switched ends anddismissed them both in the closing minutes.