Cricket: Ramprakash Howler Hits Surrey
Sometimes a rank bad ball is the right one to bowl, and the delivery with which Nadeem Malik dismissed Mark Ramprakash yesterday at New Road was certainly that.
Malik's body language as he walked back to his mark after being hit for four through cover suggested utter resignation and his next delivery was a wide-ish long-hop outside off stump. Ramprakash, unable to decide whether to smash it through point or hook it through midwicket, ended up taking a contemptuous swat, and getting a bottom edge to the wicketkeeper.
Rarely can a batsman have looked more certain to score a hundred than Ramprakash had, shortly after lunch. Resuming on 25, he had played with absolute certainty throughout a morning that promised a long day's toil for the Worcestershire bowlers. He was on 70 when, in the final over before lunch, Surrey lost their first wicket of the day, Jon Batty pushing forward at a Gareth Batty off-spinner that did not turn and feathering an edge to the wicketkeeper, Steve Davies.
Given the conditions, bright sun beating down on the flattest of wickets, Jon Batty's dismissal for 114, his third century of the season, should have been no more than a hiccup in Surrey's progress towards a follow-on target of 552, and so it seemed as Ramprakash, now accompanied by Ali Brown, continued on his way.
Not a fielder moved as he flicked Malik off his hip for four, then turned him with perfect timing to the ropes at midwicket. Nor in Malik's next over, when Ramprakash stood up and hit a back-foot drive through cover which, had the advertising boards not intervened, would probably still be traveling now.
Then came Ramprakash's dismissal, and the tenor of the game changed. Malik, reinvigorated, had Brown caught at slip with a lifter, and Rikki Clarke's brainless attempt to reverse sweep Gareth Batty resulted in a gentle scoop to the wicketkeeper. Kabir Ali beat Azhar Mahmood for pace with a straight one, Kyle Hogg picked up his former Lancashire team-mate Chris Schofield caught behind and when the hobbling Mark Butcher chipped the same bowler gently to Malik at midwicket, the Surrey tail folded in short order.
The follow-on enforced, Malik teased out Batty before the close, but this is still a match the visitors should save.
Malik's body language as he walked back to his mark after being hit for four through cover suggested utter resignation and his next delivery was a wide-ish long-hop outside off stump. Ramprakash, unable to decide whether to smash it through point or hook it through midwicket, ended up taking a contemptuous swat, and getting a bottom edge to the wicketkeeper.
Rarely can a batsman have looked more certain to score a hundred than Ramprakash had, shortly after lunch. Resuming on 25, he had played with absolute certainty throughout a morning that promised a long day's toil for the Worcestershire bowlers. He was on 70 when, in the final over before lunch, Surrey lost their first wicket of the day, Jon Batty pushing forward at a Gareth Batty off-spinner that did not turn and feathering an edge to the wicketkeeper, Steve Davies.
Given the conditions, bright sun beating down on the flattest of wickets, Jon Batty's dismissal for 114, his third century of the season, should have been no more than a hiccup in Surrey's progress towards a follow-on target of 552, and so it seemed as Ramprakash, now accompanied by Ali Brown, continued on his way.
Not a fielder moved as he flicked Malik off his hip for four, then turned him with perfect timing to the ropes at midwicket. Nor in Malik's next over, when Ramprakash stood up and hit a back-foot drive through cover which, had the advertising boards not intervened, would probably still be traveling now.
Then came Ramprakash's dismissal, and the tenor of the game changed. Malik, reinvigorated, had Brown caught at slip with a lifter, and Rikki Clarke's brainless attempt to reverse sweep Gareth Batty resulted in a gentle scoop to the wicketkeeper. Kabir Ali beat Azhar Mahmood for pace with a straight one, Kyle Hogg picked up his former Lancashire team-mate Chris Schofield caught behind and when the hobbling Mark Butcher chipped the same bowler gently to Malik at midwicket, the Surrey tail folded in short order.
The follow-on enforced, Malik teased out Batty before the close, but this is still a match the visitors should save.
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