If there is one thing worse than dropping Jason Roy on 23 on an easy-paced Oval pitch it is probably dropping him again on 87 on his way to what, by that stage, already looked like a match-winning hundred. Roy, who has been in murderous form in white-ball cricket recently, does not need a second invitation right now. But he was given two here by Northamptonshire after Gareth Batty won the toss on a glum south London afternoon, chose to bat first and saw Surrey canter to 343 en route to a 220-run victory, the largest ever one-day defeat in the visitors’ history.
If Surrey’s pace attack completed the humiliation as the visitors collapsed alarmingly under the lights, the game was set up by Roy’s 108 off 79 balls. It was a wonderfully controlled innings of stylish, low-pulse-rate violence against a slightly ragged Northants attack, confirming that along with Alex Hales, Roy remains domestic one-day cricket’s most exhilarating top-order dasher.
Roy and Steven Davies set off with classy, carefree belligerence from the start. By the time they were parted Surrey’s openers had put on 195 in 25 overs, a record partnership for any wicket against Northants. It was a lovely, elegant, breezy opening stand, all the more impressive on a pitch that took some spin as even Davies struggled a little on his way to 99 off 99 balls, and on which Northants collapsed completely in reply against the former England fast-medium bowler Jade Dernbach and the frisky 17-year-old left-armer Sam Curran.
With Davies interspersing airy off-side glides with fresh-air wafts Roy got things moving, glancing, chopping and driving David Willey for consecutive fours as Surrey eased to 36 without loss in the first six overs. Rob Keogh dropped him early on, diving forward at point in an attempt to snaffle a half-chance off a leading edge. After that the ball began to fly to the boundary off Roy’s bat with a thrillingly industrial thwack. A first sight of Mohammad Azharullah brought the opener dancing down the pitch to play that bespoke whip over midwicket before carving the first six of the match over long-off and almost into the groundsman’s shed.
Roy’s fifty came off his 37th ball with his ninth four. With Davies also reaching his half-century courtesy of a lofted six over deep square-leg off Rory Kleinveldt – whose six overs for 55 were a trundling rag-bag of no-balls and long hops – a score of 400 looked within reach.
Roy was dropped again, this time a swirling leg-side slog that Graeme White really should have held. Roy’s hundred included 14 fours and a six, before he was out a little softly, caught by Willey at point off Josh Cobb.
Northants could have been forgiven a collective groan at the sight of Kumar Sangakkara bustling out to bat with 25 overs left but after some elegant lofted drives he was bowled attempting something audacious towards deep square-leg. Davies went driving languidly through gully.
Keogh bowled 10 composed overs of part time off-spin for 44 and only some muscular late hitting from James Burke and the one-day international quiz question Zafar Ansari – who played one match in Ireland in May but is yet to bat or bowl for England – took Surrey to 343.
At which point: enter Dernbach, whose altercation with Willey in the Twenty20 Cup final two years ago had an unusually personal edge to it. Dernbach has played twice for Surrey since April. Here he looked like the fine new ball bowler he can often be when he keeps things simple. Bowling fast and straight – and without unnecessary variation – Dernbach pegged back Richard Levi’s off stump with the first ball of the innings and then had Cobb caught behind to leave Northants gasping on six for two.
At the other end Sam Curran, who has been a revelation in his short first-team career, nipped out Adam Rossington and Alex Wakely, before depriving the crowd of the only real note of drama left, trapping Willey lbw for a duck before he had the chance to face the dreaded Jade. In seven overs of whippy pace bowling Curran, who has only just turned 17, took four for 32 in his first ever list A match.
It was all too much for Northants, who slumped to 61 for eight at one point, before the 20-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman Ben Duckett clumped a belligerent, defiant fifty to ensure they reached three figures. After defeat to Durham in their opening match, things are looking bleak for them already in this tournament.
