Author: Marcus Hook

Ollie Pope is confident Surrey can bounce back from losing narrowly to Glamorgan in the Vitality Blast.

With Vitality Blast fixtures coming thicker and faster than at any time in the competition’s history – mainly to accommodate The Hundred – the government’s announcement that crowd capacities for outdoor sports events will have to remain capped at 25 per cent or 10,000, whichever is smaller, for another four weeks is a huge worry in financial terms.

Despite suffering their first defeat in the Vitality Blast, Surrey’s record batting second in T20 cricket both this year and last remains mightily impressive. Star batsman Laurie Evans says it’s because chasing down a target is no longer as daunting as it once was.

Surrey missed the chance to go back to the top of the Vitality Blast South Group after suffering their first T20 defeat of the season, to Essex Eagles at the Kia Oval on Monday.

Will Jacks reckons having Sam Curran, Tom Curran and Jason Roy available for the start of the Vitality Blast campaign has been a boost for Surrey – not that they needed much of a one based on last year’s T20.

Surrey have made a rampaging start to their T20 campaign, setting the standard in the South Group with three wins out of three.

England all-rounder Sam Curran says he loves playing for Surrey whenever the opportunity arises. It showed when the 23-year-old marked his 100th T20 appearance with a career best 72 not out, to complete an emphatic seven-wicket victory over Somerset.

Me and my big mouth. I had high hopes for Surrey’s T20 campaign, but that all changed when it was announced Sean Abbott (hamstring) would be taking no part and Reece Topley (side strain) was ruled out for most, if not all of the group phase.

In 2020, Gareth Batty was just one of four players who also played in the very first domestic T20 competition, 17 years ago. As he heads into the new Vitality Blast campaign, the 43-year-old says he could not be more excited to see where it takes Surrey, who reached last year’s final.

Surrey have been rocked by the double blow of losing all-rounder Sean Abbott and left-arm seamer Reece Topley on the eve of the Vitality Blast, which gets underway this week.

Amar Virdi believes Surrey’s win over Gloucestershire not only gives the South Londoners momentum going into the Vitality Blast, but also for the remaining Group 2 matches in the County Championship in July.

Surrey have a week off to prepare for the T20 Vitality Blast. But after beating Gloucestershire by an innings and 47 runs to keep themselves in contention for a top two place in Group 2 of the championship, they will have half an eye on the current Somerset v Hampshire clash at Taunton

Surrey left-arm spinner Dan Moriarty, 22, marked his first appearance of the season with a career best 6-60 in the Oval outfit’s emphatic victory over Gloucestershire in the County Championship at the weekend.

Alec Stewart believes it would be detrimental if the County Championship does not revert to two divisions once cricket, as well as the rest of the country, is free of the pandemic.

The London derby was a great advertisement for championship cricket – even if it did underline, for a second week running, Surrey’s frustrations with the weather.

Kemar Roach says he would jump at the chance to play for Surrey, should the opportunity arise again in the future.

Surrey must surely be hoping the return of spectators coincides with both a return to the four-day form they showed en route to being crowned county champions three years ago as well as the sunny weather that characterised the opening weeks of this campaign.

Surrey skipper Rory Burns says fatherhood has not changed him as he seeks to win back his place at the top of the order for England.