Surrey take command on day three against Notts

By the end of day three Surrey led by 385, at 244 for 5 in their second innings, after opener Harinath had built stands of 59 and 92 for the first two wickets with Rory Burns and Kumar Sangakkara, and then another quickfire 35 in four overs with Steven Davies.

Burns made 34 before slashing a low catch to backward point off Jake Ball and Sangakkara stroked 49 from 66 balls until lifting a drive at Brett Hutton to short extra cover. Hutton finished the day with 3 for 61 after Harinath cut him to backward point.

Gary Wilson, woefully out-of-touch, fell cheaply for the second time in the match when he chipped Hutton to short mid-wicket on 2 but Harinath anchored the innings responsibly, facing 167 balls and hitting nine fours.

Davies, who top-scored with 82 in Surrey’s first innings, sped to 45 not out from 29 balls, hoisting Matt Carter’s off breaks high over wide mid on for six, and the lead was well past 300 when Harinath allowed himself the frippery of a reverse sweep for four off slow left-armer Samit Patel.

Tom Curran, promoted to No 6, joined Davies in a rollicking fifth wicket partnership of 50 in 6.4 overs before swinging a catch to deep mid wicket off what proved to be the last ball of the day for 21.

Eight wickets fell in a dramatic morning session as Notts collapsed from 120 for 3 in reply to Surrey’s 323, with Patel’s comical run out for 12 featuring in the middle of a flurry of three wickets in six overs which sparked the slide.

Nottinghamshire began the day on 82 for 2 and soon lost Brendan Taylor for 21, leg-before to an off-cutter from Ravi Rampaul in the third over of the morning.

Riki Wessels, flashing, edged the persevering Curran to Ben Foakes behind the stumps to go for 5 and, after Patel had failed to respond to Michael Lumb’s call for a single and was run out by almost the length of the pitch, Surrey captain Batty continued the Notts decline by picking up his first wicket of the innings.

Batty bowled Lumb for 48 in his fifth over with an arm ball that beat the left-hander’s attempt to cut and, in his eighth over, the veteran off spinner spun one to have Hutton caught at short leg for 8.

Dan Christian remained stranded on 19 not out as Batty, bowling with great control on a surface offering him some assistance, made short work of the Notts tail.

Batty had Carter caught at mid off for 8 when the No 9 tried to hit him over the top but got a leading edge, which Rampaul held running to his left, and Harry Gurney only just survived three balls from Stuart Meaker, who had removed Jake Ball’s off stump on 8, before swinging Batty to deep mid wicket.

Their first innings lead of 141 was almost tripled by the close and, despite the loss of 60 overs to bad weather on day two, Surrey – bottom of the first division at the start of this match – will be aiming to bowl Nottinghamshire out a second time on the final day to earn themselves what would be a vital win in the context of their championship season.