Lancashire set 492 to win after Sangakkara century

Lancashire face an interesting final day against Surrey at Old Trafford and the Red Rose could salvage a vital draw if they are able to bat the entire fourth day with all ten second-innings wickets intact.

Surrey eventually declared on 283/7 setting Lancashire a mammoth target of 492 to win the game, although their declaration came much later than many would have predicted, as the hosts survived the seven overs remaining on Day Three without losing any wickets, closing on 22/0.

If Lancashire are able to earn a draw on the fourth day, then they would take on Essex at Chelmsford with the Division Two title very much up for grabs. The Red Rose county were in a spot of bother when Sri Lankan veteran Kumar Sangakkara (118) posted the 54th century of his first-class career, but Steven Croft’s four wickets halted their progress and inevitably delayed their declaration.

The third day began with Lancashire fighting to post a competitive first-innings total and perhaps avoid the follow-on, although Surrey decided not to enforce the follow-on, even when they bowled Lancashire out for 273, with Surrey taking a lead of 208 runs.

Sam Curran (5-67) claimed his second five-wicket haul of the season, but a superb last-wicket partnership between James Anderson – who hit a Lancashire career-best score of 42 – and Simon Kerrigan (23*) worth 65 runs kept the Old Trafford faithful in good spirits after a disappointing morning with the bat.

Ashwell Prince was always likely to be Lancashire’s best chance of keeping a rampant Surrey attack at bay, but when he departed for 45 to Tom Curran (3-54) it looked as though Lancashire would soon be facing the follow-on. His edge to Sangakkara at 153/6 was a vital breakthrough for the visitors, but a sturdy stand between Jordan Clark and Arron Lilley ensured that Lancashire would collect at least one batting point from the game.

Their partnership worth 48 runs was moving along at a brisk pace, but Lancashire’s progress was halted by three quick wickets which fell for the addition of only six runs. Clark (29) was judged lbw to Sam Curran to a delivery that seemed to hit the Lancashire all-rounder particularly high and Surrey made good use of this breakthrough when Tom Bailey had his middle-stump removed the very next ball.

Having batted so well in the company of Clark, Lilley then went for an expansive shot into the leg-side, but he could only find Matt Dunn at short mid-wicket, who took a good diving off Gareth Batty (2-86) to leave Lancashire in a desperate position at 207/9.

But Anderson and Kerrigan were not going down without a fight and used the freedom of the situation to play a flurry of elegant strokes to entertain the home crowd and give Lancashire a second batting point. Anderson opened his account with the first of seven fours, before clobbering Batty for six with a sweep-slog to the longest boundary on his way to a new highest score for Lancashire.

Kerrigan made good company and demonstrated his usefulness as a tail-end batsman, hitting three fours of his own, as he and Anderson added 50 runs in only 66 deliveries. Lunch was delayed by half an hour due to the success of Lancashire’s last-wicket stand, but Surrey were finally able to bring the innings to a close when Anderson was bowled for 42 by Tom Curran.

Despite their impressive first-innings lead of 208 runs, Surrey decided not to make Lancashire bat again, hoping that a daunting fourth-innings total and the opportunity to bowl last on a turning wicket would give them the edge they needed to win the game and also the Division Two title.

Surrey went out with the intention to score runs quickly and that is exactly what they did. Rory Burns and Ben Foakes – who was opening in place of the injured Zafar Ansari – added 42 runs for the first wicket inside only six overs, but Foakes (14) was trapped lbw by Bailey (1-33) with the final ball of the sixth over.

Burns and Sangakkara continued to accumulate runs quickly, as Surrey’s already-commanding lead became more and more impressive. They added the first fifty runs of their 108-run stand in only 62 balls and as their confidence increased, so to did the run rate.

Sangakkara in particular was looking in very dangerous form, as he caressed the ball around the field with ease, allowing him to progress to fifty in 62 deliveries. He and Burns reached the hundred-partnership in just 111 balls and so Kerrigan’s breakthrough proved to be crucial to Lancashire’s ability to restrict the flow of runs when he removed Burns for 44.

The Surrey opener guided the ball into Anderson’s safe hands for a far simpler catch than the one he had to take to deny Ansari a century in Surrey’s first innings, but Sangakkara was making light work of the Lancashire attack as he went on to make his fourth century of the campaign.

He reached three figures in 115 balls shortly after tea, striking Kerrigan for consecutive boundaries, taking his overall tally to 13 fours in a confident and assured innings for the visitors. The Sri Lankan batsman added another useful partnership worth 60 runs with Steve Davies (21) for the third wicket, but Surrey’s progress started to falter when skipper Croft came into the attack.

Croft, who finished with figures of 4-35 in 7.1 overs, removed Sangakkara and Davies in a rare spell of success for Lancashire, one which delayed Surrey’s decision to declare despite a strong overall lead. Davies was first to fall when he was caught by Kerrigan, as Croft struck with the fifth ball of a new spell.

Spin partner Arron Lilley (1-82) then forced Jason Roy (5) to scythe the ball onto his own stumps with the score at 217/4. Croft’s success continued when he removed Sam Curran for a duck, as he encouraged sharp turn and an outside-edge through to Anderson, the second wicket to fall for the addition of only one run.

Croft then took his third wicket in less than four overs when he accounted for the dangerous Sangakkara, taking a sharp return catch off his own bowling to remove the veteran for 118. These wickets had hampered Surrey’s outright dominance, although it would be easy to criticise the visitors for not declaring sooner with their lead already extended to 451 by the time Sangakkara was dismissed.

A fourth wicket for the Lancashire captain eventually signalled the Surrey declaration when Tom Curran was bowled for 19, leaving Gary Wilson unbeaten on 30. Surrey’s second-innings total of 283/7 set Lancashire an improbable target of 492 to win the game, although Lancashire would happily take the draw after Surrey had batted on for marginally too long.

Karl Brown (12*) and Haseeb Hameed (10*) will resume tomorrow morning for the home side on 22/0, as they look to bat for the rest of this game and salvage a draw to deny Surrey an easy ride for the title.