MATCH DRAWN: SURREY 250-9d & 143-2d; MIDDLESEX 263-3*
With rain forecast in the afternoon of the final day of the practise match against Surrey at the Kia Oval, Middlesex declared their first innings closed on their overnight score of 263-3 and it was then agreed that Surrey would bat again for a maximum of 32 overs with Middlesex due to bat for a further 32 overs afterwards.
The floodlights were again switched on at the start of play and Arun Harinath and Dominic Sibley opened the batting for Surrey and they were again given a testing time against the Middlesex new-ball attack of Steve Finn and Toby Roland-Jones.
Harinath and Sibley put on 46 runs for the first wicket before Toby Roland-Jones trapped Sibley LBW for 25 in the tenth over of the innings. Steven Davies joined Harinath and the pair saw off the threat of Roland-Jones who had figures of 1-18 in seven overs and Finn 0-25 in seven overs.
James Fuller and Harry Podmore then came into the attack but they were unable to make any further inroads into the Surrey batting as the hundred came up in the 24th over of the innings. Harinath then hit Fuller for three fours in succession, the first of which brought up an 89 ball fifty which included eight fours.
With the total on 114-1 in the 26th over, Harry Podmore then had Davies caught by James Franklin at first slip for nineteen. Joe Burke joined Harinath and they took the total to 143-2 after 32 overs at which point the innings was closed with Harinath 66 not out and Burke 21 not out.
Harry Podmore had figures of 1-35 from seven overs with James Fuller recording 0-46 also in seven overs, James Franklin 0-3 in two overs and Ryan Higgins 0-6 in two overs.
The rain arrived shortly before Middlesex were due to commence their second innings and the match was abandoned as a draw.
