SURREY V HAMPSHIRE at the Kia Oval (SSCC1), 3-6 JULY 2017

The season may be a total 175 days, but that still doesn't make it possible for the so-called experts who put the fixture list together to come up with a way of sparing teams a schedule of a 50-over game, followed by a County Championship game and then a Twenty20 game all in the space of a week.

Put simply, Surrey cannot dwell on losing the final of the Royal London One-Day Cup. Yes, it's straight back into championship action for the South Londoners, who, after rain hampered their chances of pressing home a useful advantage at Headingley, have slipped to fifth in Division One; albeit with a game in hand over the four teams topping the table at the end of June. Hampshire, who lie third, have tasted victory on three occasions (against Yorkshire, Somerset and Warwickshire), but lost twice (to Essex and Lancashire).

Given that, if Surrey are going to start putting wins together, the pitches at the Oval are likely to favour spin, Liam Dawson could be a big miss for the visitors. Much as one questions Dawson's international credentials, his call-up to the England squad for the First Test goes someway towards off-setting the absence of Kumar Sangakkara, who picked up a hand injury yesterday; during Nottinghamshire's (or should that be Alex Hales's) assault on Surrey's attack at Lord's.

Hampshire's strength lies in the potency of their bowling. Kyle Abbott has taken 38 championship wickets at an average of 18.18. Gareth Berg is averaging 22.70 and hot leg-spinning prospect Mason Crane 27.27. Fidel Edwards - who was such a key figure for them two years ago - is also fit again, but watch out for seamer Ian Holland (an Australian who was born in the United States, but holds a British passport through his English father). In two championship appearances the 26-year-old has taken 7 wickets at just 10.85 runs apiece.

But it's just as well Hampshire's bowlers are producing, because the same certainly cannot be said for their batsmen. Of the front-liners, only Jimmy Adams (378 championship runs at average of 42.00) has shown any real consistency this season, leaving the likes of Abbott (335 at 37.22) and Berg (362 at 36.20) to pick up the slack lower down the order.

Surrey v Hampshire - First-Class Records Sheet

If you've have been following this season's championship match previews avidly, I'm sure you will know by now that Scott Borthwick is three wickets shy of 200 first-class victims. Tom Curran (962) is closing in on 1,000 f-c career runs. Of the Hampshire contingent, Kyle Abbott needs three more for 300 first-class career wickets and Lewis McManus (910) needs another 90 runs for his one thousandth.

Kumar Sangakkara has split the webbing on his right hand, plus Ravi Rampaul has picked up an ankle injury - so there will be at least one change to the Surrey side that racked up over 500 at Leeds before the weather had the final say. The hosts' 14-man squad for tomorrow includes Stuart Meaker, Ollie Pope, Dominic Sibley and Amar Virdi. Incredibly, the latter hasn't seen any action since taking 3-82 in 36 overs on debut, against Division One leaders Essex, at Chelmsford.

Notwithstanding the fact that the tennis at Wimbledon gets underway tomorrow, the weather forecast (certainly for the first three days) is set fair, with a temperature of 27 degrees centigrade promised for Wednesday. But, with no Sangakkara, Surrey will face a tougher job than they might have otherwise in overcoming a Hampshire side that looks short of confidence with the bat. It should be a fascinating clash, which the hosts should be capable of winning. But will the heartache of yet another Lord's final defeat weigh on their minds?

J.Adams, T.Alsop, J.Vince, G.Bailey (capt), S.Ervine, L.McManus (wk), G.Berg, K.Abbott, I.Holland, F.Edwards and M.Crane.

Nick Cook and Alex Wharf.

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