SURREY V ESSEX EAGLES at the Kia Oval (YB40), 2 AUGUST 2013

One of the many drawbacks with the Yorkshire Bank 40 is its mid-season break. I'm aware that Surrey have practically no chance of progressing to the knockout phase, but I can't remember how Essex were doing. Let's call up the Group B table... Right then, the Eagles have won 4 and lost 3, which means every game they play, from now on, will be akin to a semi-final.

Essex have built a reputation for batting all the way down. Indeed, that has been the Eagles' strength in this year's YB40. Eight of their number are currently averaging over thirty with the bat. Surrey will be relieved to learn that Owais Shah (hamstring) and Tom Westley (finger) are unlikely to feature tomorrow night, so the main dangers will be Hamish Rutherford (201 runs at an average of 50.25) and Mark Pettini (250 runs at 35.71). Pettini, don't forget, holds the record for the highest individual score by an Essex batsman against Surrey in List A one-day cricket.

A proven method, in the limited-overs arena, for restricting opponents to a modest total is to take wickets. Ryan ten Doeschate, David Masters and Graham Napier (12 YB40 scalps at 25.33) have obliged in that regard. However, slow left-armer Tim Phillips has not backed them up as yet, while the role of fourth seamer has changed hands a number of times. Tomorrow, the choice, for Essex, appears to be between Tymal Mills and Saj Mahmood.

Click here for the Surrey v Essex List A Records sheet as at the start of the 2013 season.

Tom Curran, Dominic Sibley and Freddie van den Bergh are all set to make their first appearances for Surrey in one-day cricket, while for Curran and Sibley it would mark their first team debuts. Meanwhile, Essex's David Masters is set to make his 150th outing in List A cricket. In terms of runs and wickets, Jon Lewis will start with 970 List A runs and 299 List A wickets.

Surrey have opted to rest a number of players for this match. Vikram Solanki will take charge, in Gareth Batty's absence, while Gary Wilson will don the wicketkeeping gloves. Assuming Keedy and Lewis play, Jason Roy will be the fourth most capped one-day player on show for the hosts.

Surrey's decision to play an experimental side has to make Essex favourites, but showers are forecast.

H Rutherford, M Pettini, G Smith, R Bopara, R ten Doeschate, J Foster (capt, wk), G Napier, T Phillips, D Masters, T Mills and R Topley.

David Millns and George Sharp.

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