June 9, 2006
Surrey squad to play Middlesex, Sunday June 11
Surrey will more than likely rest some of their senior players from Sunday’s C&G match with Middlesex.
Mark Ramprakash, Azhar Mahmood, Mark Butcher and Ian Salisbury are all possible candidates to miss the local derby after what has been a busy few weeks for the Brown Caps.
The chances of all four missing the match is unlikely but with the sheer volume of cricket that has already been played as well as the cricket coming up, the view from Surrey team management is to err on the side of caution.
“We have a number of players carrying niggles and with all of these back to back games, it’s better if we rest certain players, so that they’re fresh for the Championship matches,” Surrey cricket manager, Alan Butcher said.
The Surrey captain strained his lower back in the field on Wednesday and while his injury is not serious, the plan is to make sure he will be fit for the next Championship match beginning on Wednesday next week against Somerset. Mahmood and Salisbury are both in the same boat with aggravations of their own. Mahmood has been suffering with an ankle problem and Salisbury has soreness in his left knee.
“None of these niggles are anything serious but we have to manage them otherwise we’ll have some more serious worries down the line,” Butcher said.
On the up side, a number of youngsters have been drafted into the Surrey one-day outfit over the last two years which is imperative, particularly as the Club looks to replenish its stocks. Stewart Walters, Jade Dernbach, Neil Saker and Chris Thompson have all been named in the Surrey squad for this Sunday and will get a chance to impress further, having all performed solidly for the Surrey second eleven at some stage this season. Richard Clinton, another youngster, has also been given his chance.
“The seconds are in great form this season and I’m grateful for the depth that we now have. However it is important that we start mixing the youngsters in to the one-day side so these kinds of guys can start getting the experience that they need.”
The Surrey 13 for Sunday’s game is; Stewart Walters, Jonathan Batty, Mark Ramprakash, Scott Newman, Ali Brown, Rikki Clarke, Richard Clinton, Ian Salisbury/Nayan Doshi, Tim Murtagh, Mohammad Akram, Jade Dernbach, Neil Saker, Chris Thompson.
James Benning and James Ormond were unavailable for selection due to injury. Benning broke his fifth metatarsal while batting in last Sunday’s match with Hampshire, while Ormond is still recovering from a back problem.
Benning is likely to be available for Surrey’s next Championship match beginning on Wednesday and Ormond is due to play in the second eleven match with Warwickshire next week.
