With just a few minutes to go before stumps on the final day, Somerset stunned Surrey in an epic thriller in County Cricket. Needing just the last wicket to win the match, Somerset deployed ultra aggressive field around Surrey’s Daniel Worrall, with all 11 players visible in a single frame. With the ball in his hand, Jack Leach produced a brilliant off-cutter that hit the pads of Worrall, and every player of the Somerset team raised his hands in appeal. While the decision wasn’t the toughest to make, the umpire raised his finger and the entire screen shook as Somerset made history.
Surrey were 95 for, with less than 20 overs ago in the match. The momentum shifted in favour of Somerset when Ben Foakes and Dom Sibley were dismissed a collapse. Somerset, a team that has never when the County Championship, remain in pole position to prevent Surrey from producing a three-peat.
Batting first, Somerset put 317 runs on the board, with Tom Banton leading the run-scoring charts with a brilliant 132 off 172 deliveries. Archie Vaughan and James Raw also produced useful cameos with the bat. Bangladesh veteran Shakib Al Hasan was the pick of the bowlers for Surrey, bagging 4 wickets while Daniel Worrall claimed three.
In response to Somerset’s first innings total, Surrey also did well in putting 321 runs on the board, thanks to half-centuries from Tom Curran, Ben Geddes, and Ryan Patel. Archie Vaughan was Somerset’s hero with the ball in the first innings, bagging 6 wickets while Jack Leach grabbed 4.
In the second innings, Somerset were bowled out for 224, with no player managing to score a half-century. Shakib was once again the pick of the bowlers for Surrey, bagging a fifer.
Dom Sibley’s 56 off 183 kept Surrey in the game while chasing a target of 221 runs but he lacked support from the other end of the pitch. Archie Vaughan and Jack Leach picked up 5 wickets each as Somerset bundled out Surrey for just 109.
