SURREY V NORTHAMPTONSHIRE at the Brit Oval (LVCC2), 2-5 AUGUST 2006

After racking-up a morale-boosting 660-5 declared against promotion contenders Essex last week, tomorrow's visitors not only lost coach Kepler Wessels, who parted company with them on Friday, they were also unable to breakdown Ronnie Irani's men with the ball. Mind you, given the form they have been in of late, Northamptonshire would probably have taken the draw had they been offered it on day one.

One piece of good news for the visitors is the return of the Australian opener Chris Rogers, which means Sales and company can draw a line under Sourav Ganguly's even more disappointing period at Wantage Road. On the other side of the coin, however, wicketkeeper Riki Wessels is out for the rest of campaign with a ripped hamstring. So, behind the timbers, Bilal Shafayat deputises.

As far as Surrey are concerned, the dangers will be Usman Afzaal, David Sales and Lance Klusener (840 championship runs at an average of 76.36) with the bat; plus Matt Nicholson (27 wickets at 29.14 runs apiece) and off-spinner Jason Brown with the ball. 

Mark Butcher is set to make his 250th first-class appearance and Scott Newman his 50th f-c appearance for Surrey; while Northants' Jason Brown is entering his 100th in all f-c cricket. Rikki Clarke has 95 f-c wickets to his name and Jonathan Batty is closing in on 400 dismissals for Surrey. Batty currently has 398.

Nayan Doshi is added to the Surrey eleven that drew with Somerset at Guildford a week or so ago, which raises the possibility of the Brown Caps going into a championship match with three front-line spinners for the first time since Intikhab Alam, Pat Pocock and Chris Waller lined-up for the Oval outfit way back in 1972. Scott Newman - who has made just 160 runs in his last 9 first-class innings - keeps his place at the expense of James Benning, who made an eye-catching 91 for the 2nd XI against Durham today.

Although the weather seems to be on the turn, heavy showers are not forecast to hit London until Sunday. So, with a result in prospect, one would be pessimistic in the extreme to think that Northants are capable of becoming world-beaters overnight following the departure of coach Kepler Wessels; in whom the players had reportedly lost all confidence.

C Rogers, S Peters, B Shafayat (wk), U Afzaal, D Sales (capt), L Klusener, R White, B Phillips, M Nicholson, D Wigley and J Brown.

Ian Gould and Vanburn Holder.

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