CricInfo Championship: Essex v Surrey at Ilford, 13-16 Jun 2001 CricInfo Live Report

CricInfo Championship: Essex v Surrey at Ilford, 13-16 Jun 2001
Paul Hiscock

Surrey 2nd innings: Tea - Day 2, Stumps - Day 2,
Essex 1st innings: Lunch - Day 2,
Live Reports from previous days

ESSEX IN DRIVING SEAT THANKS TO IRANI

Surrey were still trailing Essex by five runs with seven wickets remaining when bad light brought an early cessation of play with 18 overs remaining.

The home side gained a lead of 98 after they had continued their first innings for more than three hours with Ronnie Irani reaching 119 before he gave slow left-armer Rupesh Amin a return catch. The Essex captain had started the day on 55 but with a display of impressive stoicism, finally reached his first Championship century of the summer from 192 deliveries that included 13 boundaries.

Partnerships of 42 with Ashley Cowan for the eighth wicket and then 87 for the next with Mark Ilott ensured his side two batting points before Irani's dismissal and a last-wicket partnership of 27 between Ilott and Peter Such took Essex to within four runs of a third batting point.

Irani continued his dominant display when Surrey batted again, striking to remove Mark Butcher with his first delivery that saw wicket-keeper Barry Hyam take a diving catch low to his right with only three runs on the board.

Ian Ward and Mark Ramprakash then added 63 runs before left-armer Ilott got a ball to seam and trapped Ward leg before wicket. Irani then capped a personally fine day when he caught former Essex player Nadim Shahid at mid-on for 14 before bad light curtailed play.

Irani's achievement of a century and a five-wicket haul in an innings was the first time that this feat had been performed in the Championship since 1998, on that occasion by Wasim Akram for Lancashire against Nottinghamshire.

SURREY RECOVERING AFTER EARLY SHOCK

It took Surrey more than an hour after lunch to take the final two wickets and conclude the Essex innings by which time the home side had extended their first innings lead to 98 runs.

Ronnie Irani was dismissed for 119 to end a near five-hour stay at the crease during which he hit 14 boundaries.

The late order flourished with the last two wickets adding 112 runs to earn Essex a useful lead which had seemed unlikely at the start of play. Irani continued his prolific influence when he struck immediately with the ball when Surrey began their second innings, having Mark Butcher superbly caught low down by wicket-keeper Barry Hyam diving to his left in the second over. However, Ian Ward and Mark Ramprakash staved off further problems with an unbeaten second wicket stand of 59 to leave Surrey only 36 runs adrift at tea.

IRANI TON STEERS ESSEX PAST SURREY TOTAL

Essex batted throughout the morning session to frustrate the Surrey bowlers. The home side added 105 runs for the loss of just one wicket to collect two batting points in a display of intense application which gave them a first innings lead of 52 at lunch.

Ronnie Irani continued to provide the backbone of the innings, reaching an unbeaten century shortly before lunch having faced 192 deliveries that included 13 boundaries.

The Essex captain displayed admirable stoicism and found equally effective application from Ashley Cowan who made 18 in a partnership worth 42 runs for the eighth wicket before he edged a delivery from Ed Giddins' first over of the day to slip.

Mark Ilott then supported Irani, taking the total to 250 at lunch and denying leg-spinner Ian Salisbury who bowled for just over two hours, returning figures of 16-3-31-0 before he was replaced shortly before the interval.