BUSINESS AS USUAL AGAIN AT THE OVAL by Marcus Hook
Surrey Brown Caps 277-4 (40 Overs) v Yorkshire Phoenix 202-9 (40 Overs). Surrey Brown Caps win by 75 runs.

Exactly a week on from the events that have rocked the world of cricket, it was business as usual again at the Brit Oval yesterday with cricket, rather than ball-tampering, back on the menu and Surrey returning to winning ways; thanks, once again, to the indubitable blade of Mark Ramprakash. By overwhelming the Yorkshire Phoenix by 75 runs, the Brown Caps maintained their unbeaten record in the Pro40 League.

The hosts' impressive total of 277-4, built around Ramprakash's twelfth one-day hundred (albeit his first for three years), proved to be far too tall an order for the Tykes, who subsided to 152-9 in thirty-one overs before Steve Patterson and Deon Kruis restored some lost pride with an unbeaten stand of fifty for the last wicket.

Other than a belligerent 45 off 41 balls from Darren Lehmann, Yorkshire's top order batsmen all had a day they will care to forget. Needing to score at just under seven runs per over, the Phoenix suffered a nightmare start to their reply, which rendered the outcome an inevitability.

Anthony McGrath went leg before to the second ball of the innings, and his first, then Mohammad Akram - awarded his Surrey cap in the break - had Craig White caught behind at the start of the very next over.

With Alistair Brown intercepting a full-blooded pull from Michael Lumb at short mid-wicket and Azhar Mahmood diving away to his right at slip to account for Andrew Gale, Akram trebled his tally. In only his fourth one-day appearance of the season, the former Pakistan fast bowler turned in figures of 3-37 from a solitary spell.

Akram's replacement at the Vauxhall End was Chris Schofield, the former Lancashire and England leg-spinner, making his first appearance in county cricket for nearly two years. The 27-year-old bowled tidily, but had the advantage of not having to go head to head with Lehmann, who threatened, briefly, to take the game away from the Brown Caps.

The South Australian cut Azhar for two successive fours in the ninth over and after angling boundaries to third man and fine leg off Akram, picked him up for a huge six over mid-wicket in the tenth. The 36-year-old then rounded on Tim Murtagh, who was immediately despatched through cover for two fours.

But with Gale departing in the twelfth over and then Lehmann in the thirteenth - leg before wandering across his stumps to Murtagh - Yorkshire found themselves 73-5. Gerard Brophy was also lbw, attempting to sweep Nayan Doshi, who then had Richard Dawson caught and bowled.

Nick Thornicroft got off the mark but clubbing Doshi straight down the ground for six, but handed Schofield his first wicket for Surrey in the next over, the 30th, when Akram clung on at deep mid-wicket.

Earlier in the day, Ramprakash, who has been in superb form all summer, shared in three fifty-run partnerships as well as hitting an unbeaten 106 off 101 balls, including eleven boundaries.

After Alistair Brown was caught at deep square leg for a run-a-ball 21, Newman and Ramprakash added 66 in twelve overs. Scott Newman pulled Thornicroft for six before misjudging another heave to leg. That brought Mark Butcher to the crease and a fluent innings of 40 off 35 balls from the Surrey skipper, which included an on-driven six off Dawson, moved the Brown Caps total along to 188 in the 31st over.

Ramprakash brought up his half-century in 53 deliveries, with a forcing stroke through extra cover off the bowling of Dawson, and posted three figures in 96 balls. His hundred arrived amid a rumbustious innings from Azhar, who showed the 18-year-old Adil Rashid no mercy.

The young leg-spinner sent down seven respectable overs only to see his eighth, which included three sixes in four deliveries, go for 24. With Jonathan Batty also giving it the long handle to McGrath and Kruis, Surrey's total ended up 30-40 runs more than they were probably aiming for.

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