A report partnership between Jamie Smith and Dan Lawrence noticed Surrey safely to a draw after Warwickshire had dominated a lot of their County Championship fixture at Edgbaston.
Smith struck a elegant 132 from 261 balls and Lawrence an equally assured unbeaten 161 off 258 in a stand of 217 in 64 overs as Surrey batted by the ultimate day to achieve 447-4.
The implacable fourth-wicket pair took full benefit of a pitch that simply received higher and higher for batting.
There was little that Ed Barnard, in his first match as Warwickshire captain, may do however rotate his array of seamers within the hope of inducing errors.
It proved a forlorn hope as Surrey erased their first-innings deficit of 216 after which batted on to safe a draw with which they are going to be very comfortable, having been in disarray at 65-6 on the primary afternoon.
Surrey resumed on the ultimate morning on 169-3, nonetheless 47 behind, means behind within the sport however in situations which supplied them a means out of bother in the event that they batted with the required diligence.
They did so, as Smith and Lawrence knuckled down so as to add 105 from 31 overs within the morning session.
Warwickshire’s seamers persevered nobly, with Ethan Bamber and Beau Webster most threatening, however the fourth-wicket pair batted with stable approach and whole focus.
The session yielded simply two half-chances, each supplied by Smith. On 60 he edged Chris Woakes excessive previous the shoulder of Sam Hain at slip and on 76, he drove Jordan Thompson to additional cowl the place Webster received a hand to a troublesome likelihood however could not maintain on.
The batters superior relentlessly to their centuries within the afternoon, Smith’s arriving from 199 balls and Lawrence’s from 152, earlier than changing into the third and fourth members of the group to place their names within the report books throughout this match.
Within the first innings, Ben Foakes and Tom Lawes broke a 120-year-old report for Surrey’s seventh wicket towards Warwickshire.
Three days later, Smith and Larwence matched the achievement, their 217 partnership surpassing the county’s earlier fourth-wicket greatest towards the Bears – 213 by Tom Hayward and Edwin Goatley at The Oval in 1906.
The alliance when Smith lifted Rob Yates to lengthy on. His job was achieved, although, and all that remained was a closing session of Lawrence and Ben Foakes (36*) having fun with a delicate outside web towards the spin of Yates and Dan Mousley.
It was a low-key finish to a match which contained some wonderful, aggressive cricket and from which either side will take loads of optimistic.
Surrey, having copped the worst of the situations early within the match, confirmed the fortitude and talent to not lose it. Warwickshire, their prime order all displaying promising early-season type, have been nicely on prime towards robust opposition for a lot of the sport.
Report by ECB Reporters’ Community, supported by Rothesay.
