SURREY V NOTTINGHAMSHIRE at the Kia Oval (SSCC1), 19-22 JUNE 2016

Seventh meets ninth and one suspects Samit Patel will be a key man for the visitors over the next four days. The former England all-rounder is averaging 45.00 with the bat and 29.71 in this season's County Championship. Patel likes playing Surrey, as well. Over the years, he has scored 593 first-class runs against them at an average of 65.88.

The inclusion of Matthew Carter in the Notts squad is an interesting one. In his only first-class appearance to date, against Somerset at Taunton last summer, the 20-year-old off-spinner (the younger brother of Andy Carter, who is now at Derbyshire) bagged a match aggregate 10-195.

However, the absence of Chris Read (broken hand) is a massive boost for the Oval outfit. Skipper Read is Nottinghamshire's heart and soul. Since the start of 2014, Read, whom many feel should have played a lot more for England, has scored 2,306 first-class runs at an average of 48.04 and expedited 123 dismissals. Without him, they are a very different side.

Steven Mullaney, who will captain in Read's absence, has not kicked on since making 113 against Surrey on the opening day of the season. Mullaney is averaging just 30.76. His opening partner Jake Libby (16.75) is also struggling to make a case that he represents a better long-term option than Greg Smith (20.63).

Other than Patel, the dangers with the bat, for Surrey, are Brendon Taylor, who appears to have rediscovered his mojo, overseas all-rounder Dan Christian and Riki Wessels; who may drop down the order if Notts lose the toss and find themselves in the field on day one, on account of needing to don the wicketkeeper's gloves.

The visitors' bowling line-up will be completed by Harry Gurney (24 championship wickets at 27.70 runs apiece this season), Jake Ball (22 at 25.59) and one of Luke Fletcher or Brett Hutton. In three games for Surrey last summer, on loan, Fletcher took eight wickets at an average of 19.37.

Surrey v Nottinghamshire - First-Class Records Sheet

Steven Davies looks set to make his 175th first-class appearance, likewise Samit Patel of Notts. Harry Gurney, who is exactly one hundred behind them, will be playing in his 75th first-class game assuming he gets the nod. Kumar Sangakkara is just 18 runs shy of 19,000 in f-c cricket and, to date, the number of first-class hundreds by Surrey batsmen stands at 1,998.

Dominic Sibley has come through a scan on his back and looks set to replace Jason Roy, who will join up with the England ODI and T20 squad to face Sri Lanka. The hoped for return of Mark Footitt has not materialised. The 30-year-old left-arm seamer is now suffering from a hip/groin issue, having been out, prior to that, with a side strain. James Burke, Aneesh Kapil and Gary Wilson are all named in the hosts' 14-man shortlist. Sam Curran, who will complete his A-Levels next week, is unavailable for selection.

Now, before we do anything else, what's the forecast looking like (bearing in mind some bookies have stopped taking bets on this being the wettest June since records began)... Well, days one and three look okay, not so day two. But, given Surrey's plight, one would assume Alec Stewart and Michael Di Venuto have asked for a sporty result-inducing pitch. If things go the distance, Surrey might just have enough wherewithal to cancel out the win Notts scored in the opening week of the season. Prediction - Surrey to break their four-day duck.

S.Mullaney (capt), J.Libby, M.Lumb, B.Taylor, S.Patel, R.Wessels (wk), D.Christian, J.Ball, L.Fletcher, H.Gurney and M.Walker.

Neil Bainton and Nick Cook. Of the joint total of 21 County Championship games involving Surrey, in which Bainton and Cook have stood, Surrey have lost just two (Notts at the Oval 2008 and Derbyshire at the Oval 2010) and won a total of seven. Combined leg-before-o-meter: 18.7% of dismissals.

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