Afzaal hits hundred in draw

Usman Afzaal hits through the off side during his hundred for Surrey

Usman Afzaal struck a workmanlike century before the captains agreed on a draw an hour before the end of play on an uneventful last day of Yorkshire and Surrey’s LV County Championship clash at the Brit Oval.

The outcome was Surrey’s fifth draw from five this campaign, with no other result ever really looking on the cards during the day‘s play.

Afzaal’s second championship hundred of the season came from 193 balls with just ten fours, and was predictably seen in with a clipped single to fine leg in the 98th over.

Two overs later, he was stumped by Gerard Brophy from Adil Rashid’s delivery, the Yorkshire 'keeper making up good ground to make the dismissal.

Surrey had resumed the day’s play three runs behind on 56 for two, and looked nervy when Scott Newman was caught behind for 31 in the fifth over of the morning.

However, an 82-run partnership between Afzaal and Murtaza Hussain steadied the ship for Surrey, and a draw was almost assured by the time the teams went in for lunch.

Murtaza Hussain strikes over the top as Gerard Brophy watches for Yorkshire

Friday’s nightwatchman Hussain put in a good knock of 56, including seven fours and a six, before edging one off Anthony McGrath just after lunch to hand the Yorkshire captain his 100th first-class wicket for the county.

And when Ali Brown (six) left a Tim Bresnan delivery that took out his off stump Surrey were reduced to 183 for five, meaning a couple more quick wickets might have had the hosts in trouble.

But it was not to be, and the game petered out with few chances coming the way of the fielding side. Runs again started to dry up an hour before tea, before Afzaal finally got things going with a first boundary for 15 overs when he pulled Jacques Rudolph for four in the 80th over.

After tea, the partnership of Afzaal and Jonathan Batty started to produce more runs, and Batty notched up his 34th first-class fifty, passing his 7,000th first-class run for Surrey in the process, with two fours to square leg in three balls off the bowling of Oliver Hannon-Dalby.

After Afzaal’s dismissal, there was time for one more over before the match was declared a draw with Surrey leading by 240 runs and 16 overs of the last day remaining.

On a day that saw just 243 runs for the loss of four wickets, one of the more entertaining moments came in the form of Surrey coach Alan Butcher’s one-over cameo replacing Nigel Cowley as square-leg umpire just after lunch.