Ramps batters Middlesex again

Mark Ramprakash hit his 106th first-class century but Surrey's clash with Middlesex looks destined for a draw at Lord's

Surrey’s Mark Ramprakash underlined his status as the most successful batsman the LV= County Championship has seen by continuing his remarkable assault on former club Middlesex.

The 39-year old former England star hit 136 at Lord’s in an attritional Division Two clash, defying the sweltering heat to score his 106th first-class hundred in more than six hours at the crease.

Ramprakash hit 17 fours and faced 306 balls after starting the third day on 64 as Surrey reached 392 all out in reply to Middlesex’s 385, who then plodded to 38 for no wicket in their second innings by the close.

In eight first-class games, and 12 innings, against Middlesex – whom he left after 14 seasons to join Surrey in 2001 – Ramprakash has now made 1,009 runs at an average of 101, with four hundreds.

Ramprakash was never at his fluent best, although the negative policy of left-arm spinner Murali Kartik, who came over the wicket to him alone and bowled on or outside his leg-stump to a tedious degree, did not help.

Surrey were hoping that Ramprakash, Mark Butcher and Usman Afzaal could bat them into a significant first-innings lead, in order to put Middlesex under pressure.

However, Butcher had added just a single to his overnight 48 when Chris Silverwood moved a fine ball back up the Lord’s slope to have him well taken low down at first slip.

Afzaal joined Ramprakash at 188 for three, and the pair had put on 109 when Afzaal’s positive 58 was ended by an excellent sprawling catch at deep square-leg by Gareth Berg off a suffering Steven Finn.

Ramprakash continued to impress, on-driving Berg imperiously through mid-on to the Pavilion rails, but Stewart Walters was lbw to Kartik’s arm ball.

Kartik, at last, decided to go around the wicket to Ramprakash, and was rewarded when another cleverly disguised quicker ball curved in to beat his forward push and have him lbw.

And once Ramprakash had been prised from the crease, sixth out at 349, the Surrey innings fell away despite the best efforts of Chris Jordan, who clattered Shaun Udal for six in an unbeaten 34.

Alex Tudor departed first ball, caught off bat and pad at silly mid-off, and Kartik – turning the ball more and more on the bone dry surface – helped to wrap up the Surrey innings after tea to finish with figures of 5-65 from 39.2 overs.

By the close Middlesex openers Billy Godleman and Nick Compton had wiped off their side’s small first-innings deficit, and a draw now looks the certain result.