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Ryan Harris may be in for quite a shock come Saturday. Despite taking four wickets and posing all the most awkward questions for the WICB President’s XI on day one of the tour match at the Three Ws Oval in Barbados, Harris remained steadfast in the belief that he is behind James Pattinson, Ben Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle in Australia’s pace calculations for the first Test.Though his straight, skiddy and swinging method seems ideally suited to the slow, dry surfaces of the Caribbean, Harris reckons himself a reserve option for the Tests. Having watched his display on Monday, the national selector John Inverarity, the captain Michael Clarke and the coach Mickey Arthur may now be inclined to surprise Harris by calling him up at Kensington Oval.”In a tour game it’s always good to get wickets but I still feel Patto, Sidds and Hilf had a great summer,” Harris said. “As I said when I left I only got a game because Patto got injured and he bowled well again today. I still think that they’ll start but obviously I want to put as much pressure on them as I can and by taking some wickets I think I’ve done that. If I play, I play. We’ve got to pick the best three quicks to bowl the West Indies out and whatever it takes to win Test matches, that’s what I want.”We all bowled well. We bowled them out for 201, we all bowled well, the guys bowled quick which is good and all good areas and swung the ball around. Everyone is continuing their form with what they bowled in the Test series in Australia and I think that’s what our goal is. If we do that I think we showed against India, who are a pretty good team, if we do it over here we’ll go alright.”Australia’s pace bowling marker under the current regime was first laid down by Harris in Sri Lanka last year, when he bowled a suffocating line and full length to a confound the hosts capable batsmen and set Clarke’s team up for a 1-0 series win. The similarities between the subcontinent and the West Indies are not lost on Harris, nor any of the bowlers under Craig McDermott’s watch.”I’d like to think so [conditions are similar], that’s probably the thing that is in my favour,” Harris said. “I bowled reasonably well in Sri Lanka and they are very similar to be honest – probably even a bit more grass on them [the pitches] in Sri Lanka. Performing like I did over there helps but it’s obviously different over here.”There’s no grass on them but they’re a bit firmer. Patto with his bounce is going to go through more and same as Sidds and Hilf with the new ball. We’re using different balls over here as well, they’re likely to swing a little bit more so that’s going to help Hilf.”When he wasn’t bowling on day one, Harris spent some time observing the two spinners Australia have on tour. Michael Beer may not have the Test incumbency enjoyed by Nathan Lyon, but the the left-arm spinner shaded his counterpart on a pitch that required the ball to be dug in from height, rather than looped down in Lyon’s favoured manner.”He’s had a very good summer as well,” Harris said of Beer. “He’s worked bloody hard on his bowling. Even today he had a guy going after him and he was able to make those sorts of adjustments to stop him from hitting over his head.”One wicket was a half tracker … [but] that happens, that’s just frustration, him building pressure and the batsman being frustrated. He thoroughly deserves to be in the squad, no doubt about that. He’s putting pressure on Nathan as well, that’s their little duel. Probably not here, but I reckon the other two Test venues I think there could be a chance of playing two spinners. He’s bowling well, he had a good summer in Australia and he deserves his spot and he deserves if he gets the opportunity to play in the Test match.”Nathan’s had a pretty good summer as well, but Beery’s been breathing down his neck the whole summer. That’s the good thing about this whole squad at the moment, there’s so much pressure on us to perform, and if you don’t you’re probably going to miss out, which is exactly what you want.”

East Zone

Bengal‘s bowlers compensated for a middle and lower-order collapse to secure a 69-run victory against Assam at Eden Gardens. Bengal were well placed at 152 for 2 after choosing to bat, but collapsed after that, losing eight wickets for 84 runs. Shreevats Goswami scored 69 and Wriddhiman Saha 72 off 60 balls but of the last seven batsmen, only Debabrata Das got into double figures. Deepak Gohain took 3 for 62 and Tarjinder Singh took 2 for 36 for Assam as Bengal were dismissed for 236 in 46.1 overs. Assam’s chase never took off as wickets fell at frequent intervals to curb their momentum. The top scorer was the opener Pallavkumar Das, who made 38, and only two other batsmen got past 20 as Assam were dismissed for 167 in 42.3 overs.Orissa’s batsmen chased a testing target with five wickets and 7.3 overs to spare against Jharkhand in Kolkata. Chasing 255, Orissa’s openers Paresh Patel and Tukuna Sahoo made a quick start, scoring 62 in eight overs. Patel anchored the innings with 79 and, when he fell in the 34th over, Orissa were on course. Victory was sealed by Sujit Lenka, who was 56 not out, and Bhibudutta Panda, who made 41 off 29 balls. Jharkhand used eight bowlers but only Yaju Krishanatry and Rahul Shukla took wickets. Jharkhand could have scored more than 254 for 6 but they stumbled from 75 for 0 to 117 for 4. Saurabh Tiwary steadied the innings with 57 and Kumar Deobrat scored 72. Biplab Samantray took 3 for 38 for Orissa.

Clive Lloyd has resigned from his role as non-member director of the WICB, after being forced to take sides between the board and the Interim Management Committee (IMC) appointed by the Guyana government to run cricket in the country.Lloyd is the head of the IMC, which was instituted after the Guyana government locked the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) out of its office premises, following the disputed Guyana board elections in July 2011. The IMC is not recognised by the WICB, which issued Lloyd an ultimatum asking him to choose between the two parties.”As you are probably aware, I was recently appointed as special advisor on sports to the president of Guyana,” Lloyd wrote in his resignation letter addressed to WICB president Julian Hunte. “At the end of last year I was asked by the Government of Guyana to come home and head up an Interim Management Committee on Cricket, as a result of deep-seated problems plaguing the GCB and a ruling from the chief justice.”Given my standing in the international cricketing world I would have hoped that my decision to answer my country’s [Guyana’s] call would have signalled a message to you that all was not well with Guyana’s cricket and therefore had your support and cooperation. However instead I have found myself caught between my loyalty to my country and loyalty to the WICB.”After much deliberation, with a sad heart I had no other option but to tender my resignation as director of the board. I hope that my resignation would act as a catalyst for the members of the board to ask soul searching questions and take a hard look at what could be done differently to get our cricket back to the glory days.”Lloyd’s letter also touched upon his concerns about the health of the game, in Guyana and in the Caribbean at large. “As one of the most successful West Indian captains in the history of our game, I have to say that I am very concerned not just about the state of cricket in my country but the state of West Indian cricket as a whole – the lack of accountability and consultation and limited discussion about the stagnant state of our cricket.”According to the , Hunte has since written to Lloyd and accepted the resignation ‘with regret’.”You will recall that we did agree in August 2011 that the IMC would serve as an advisory body to assist the Guyana Cricket Board to reform and restructure,” the quoted from Hunte’s letter. “Instead, the IMC has now taken over the functions of the Guyana Cricket Board and purports to act as the legitimate cricketing authority. Having done so and with you as chairman, you can appreciate as had been discussed with you, that it would be untenable that you continue as a director of the WICB.”

Late on the second day of the Ranji Trophy semi-final in Rohtak, Rajasthan opener Vineet Saxena talked about his team’s careering path to the final, from the edge of elimination to a second straight final.Winning their last two league matches outright, one of them with bonus points, was the minimum that Rajasthan needed to do for a chance to enter the quarter-finals. Despite that, the ticket to the knock-out rounds would only come through with every last-round result from their group falling their way.When it actually happened and the defending champions made the quarters after having sneaked ahead of Saurashtra on the quotient, Saxena said with a smile, “We thought maybe God has something else planned for us.”Divine intervention aside, Rajasthan’s road to the Ranji final has largely been made up of steering clear of contemplating the end of the line. Hrishikesh Kanitkar, the Rajasthan captain, said that Rajasthan didn’t think about making it all the way. “We weren’t looking at the final because we didn’t start very well.”Now that they are in the final, Kanitkar said that getting a second shot at the title was “a humbling thing” because of what it has taken to get there and also knowing “that there are many teams who have done it many times.”As the wickets fell in the semi-final, even Kanitkar, a seasoned and calm-tempered cricketer rarely given to theatrics or over-the-top celebrations, was heard shouting encouragement at his bowlers.Amit Asawa, the Rajasthan coach, found himself trying to let it all sink in. “It is amazing,” he said, “I am out of words. Two years ago we were in the bottom of the Plate League and now we are in our second straight final.”The team had been preparing itself since July, Asawa, a former Rajasthan player, said. Defending the title would demand more of the players with the increased competition in the Elite League and the weight of last year’s performance on their shoulders. “We had heard all this in the air that we were tagged the champions but we didn’t keep the pressure of being champions,” Asawa said.The main priority, Asawa said, was to make their place in the Elite League secure. “We knew we were in the Elite League and we would be facing strong teams. We wanted to remain here so this has far more significance and has been tougher than what we did last year … for me Rajasthan cricket has grown in the last two years.”The team prepared for their new season with the players sharing time in the Rajasthan Cricket Association Academy in Jaipur and the older pros getting to understand their younger team-mates. “We were living together for a long time,” Kanitkar said. “We knew what turns someone on to get going, who to talk to, who to leave alone.”The performances of Rajasthan’s players in the semi-final, Asawa said, needed to be judged “by character in the context of the game.” By that count, he said, Saxena’s being the top scorer in both innings “was like him scoring 125. Similarly a lot of the younger players would have got a lot of confidence from the game, like Robin Bist and Puneet Yadav with the bat and of course, Rituraj Singh.”When asked for his assessment of the Lahli wicket, which offered sideways movement and assistance to the bowlers on all three days, Kanitkar grinned at first and replied, “You’re asking the wrong person – we have won, I like the wicket.”He then said that the track had shrunk the Ranji Trophy’s most precious commodity – the first-innings lead -to a respectable size. “The first-innings lead was not important – not when if it wasn’t a big one. A wicket like this gives you a chance to come back in the game, gives your bowlers a chance.” He then added, “I don’t know how I’d have answered the question had I been on the losing side … but I have to say it was a sporting wicket for both teams because it made you fight for every run.”After the on-field celebrations were done, Rajasthan walked off the field, waving stumps and fists. Their joy was made only audible as they walked into their dressing room behind the sight screen and away from the sight of their dejected hosts – the Haryana players and support staff, former players like Rajinder Goel watching from the sidelines, association officials, scorers, odd-jobs men, cleaners and cooks who had turned up to this venue 13 km outside Rohtak.In less than an hour after the final ball, the stadium was cleared of its chairs and tables and the boundary ropes were piled into coils to be put away. The door of the Haryana dressing room was sealed shut. The team were talking about their road and how it had ended. Rajasthan had by then had begun gathering into their bus, in one sense already on their way to the final, the venue of which all of them seemed to know was going to be Chennai.

The PCB has said it has finalised its recommendations for three coaching positions for the national team; Mohsin Khan, the current interim coach, is among the 30 applicants.The PCB committee in charge of selecting the coaches met in Lahore on Wednesday and is expected to report back to the board chairman over the next two days with its recommendations. Dav Whatmore is a strong contender for the position of head coach, who will also play a dual role as batting coach, while Aaqib Javed, appointed bowling coach for the series against England, is likely to take over the role on a long-term basis, though the PCB did not reveal any names.”It’s a huge responsibility on our shoulders,” the head of the committee, Intikhab Alam, said at a press conference at the National Cricket Academy. “We received a lot of applications, both from foreign and local candidates and we had a thorough discussion on each of them and today we have finalised our recommendations.””We have kept under consideration all the points that the chairman had mentioned and according to our recommendations the head coach will be a batting coach and there will be a bowling coach and a fielding coach. But I can’t reveal you the names and a final decision will be made by the chairman.” Alam was accompanied by two committee members, Zaheer Abbas and Col. Naushad Ali.The appointment of a full-time head coach will fill a slot that’s been lying vacant for six months. Waqar Younis, the previous full-time head coach, had stepped down on health grounds, and Mohsin was named interim coach. Ijaz Ahmed is the current fielding coach and could be in contention with Julian Fountain for the role, while Aaqib has returned to supervise the bowling department. The full-time appointments will also be part of a three-man coaching panel.Whatmore, who’s coached Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in the past, resigned as coach of Kolkata Knight Riders and has been invited to meet with the PCB this month.”I can’t tell you the names,” Alam said. “I have heard lots of strange things about the coaching options.”Mohsin, currently in charge of the team, was the former chief selector of the PCB and said he would like to retain a coaching position. “My services are always available to the PCB in whichever capacity the PCB wants it because whatever I am today, it’s because of Pakistan,” he said. “I have no ego problems whatever decision the PCB makes but I have already submitted an application for the coaching assignment.”

Persistent rain meant only 219 overs could be bowled at the University Oval in Dunedin, and Northern Districts and Otago had to settle for a draw. Northern Districts stayed top of the table after taking six points from the game on account of passing 350 runs within 110 overs of their first innings and taking seven wickets in Otago’s first attempt. The bulk of the action was on the third day, when 105 overs were bowled. Northern Districts had built a base on the second day, after the first day was completely washed out, and had reached 159 for 1 thanks to an opening stand of 96 between BJ Watling and Brad Wilson, who scored 52. Watling took his score to 150 on the third day, and James Marshall, Joseph Yovich and Peter McGlashan all got half-centuries before Northern Districts declared on 482 for 5.Seamer Graeme Aldridge struck twice to reduce Otago to 24 for 2 on the third day but rain after tea on the final day meant they did not have the opportunity to bowl Otago out in the first innings. They managed to reduce Otago to 210 for 7 though, with Aldridge finishing with 3 for 33 and debutant Mitchell Santner taking 2 for 71.

Canterbury made a strategic declaration on the third day of another truncated game, against Central Districts at the Mainpower Oval in Rangiora, but needed more rain on the fourth day to avoid what could have been two uncomfortable sessions. After the second day was washed out, Canterbury moved to 251 for 6 on the third, in response to Central Districts’ first-innings score of 307. At that stage they were ahead on first-innings points, with four for taking all ten Central Districts wickets and one for going past 250 themselves. Central Districts had four: two for reaching 300 and two for taking five wickets. Another wicket would have earned them an extra point but Canterbury declared.Central Districts pushed for a win and got 288 for 4 in their second innings before declaring just before lunch on the final day with Canterbury chasing 345. Canterbury lost a wicket before lunch but rain washed out the final two sessions denying Central Districts the opportunity to try to take the remaining nine wickets.Central District had centurions in both their innings. In the first, Kruger van Wyk scored 131 and, along with Carl Cachopa (56) and Tarun Nethula (36), rescued his side from 78 for 5. Fast bowler Andrew Ellis had rocked Central Districts’ top order and finished with 4 for 81 but they recovered to score more than 300. Mathew Sinclair was Central Districts’ centurion in the second innings, scoring 118 not out off 177 balls. Canterbury’s 251 for 6 in the first innings was built on half-centuries by Peter Fulton and Ellis.

An aggressive declaration by Wellington nearly backfired but rain on the fourth day at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln prevented Auckland from pushing for a win after they had Wellington tottering at 86 for 5 chasing 250. After rain washed out the second day, Wellington had declared on 233 for 5 on the third, in response to Auckland’s 357 for 7. Their bowlers vindicated that move on the fourth day, with spinners Jeetan Patel and Luke Woodcock combining to bowl Auckland out for 125. That left Wellington with 250 runs to chase in just over two sessions but they slipped to 58 for 5.Tim McIntosh’s century had carried Auckland to a first-innings total of more than 350, giving them three points, while Wellington earned three too for taking seven wickets. Wellington then slipped to 40 for 4 in their first innings before James Franklin’s 68 and Woodcock’s unbeaten century recued them. They declared before they went past 250, though, and Auckland’s five wickets meant they went ahead on first-innings points: five to three.Wellington then pushed for the win. Patel took 5 for 39 and Woodcock grabbed 4 for 16 as Auckland were skittled in 50.3 overs. Auckland fought back through strikes from Andre Adams and left-arm spinner Bruce Martin but rain intervened before what was poised for a tense finish.

ScorecardAndre Russell’s five-wicket haul coupled with Jonathan Carter’s late blitz gave West Indies A the upper hand in the second unofficial Test against Bangladesh A in St Lucia. But on a pitch where 33 wickets have fallen over three days, the hosts will need to work hard to make the remaining 75 runs they need for victory, even though they have seven wickets in hand.Russell gave his side a dream start to the day, ripping out both Bangladesh A openers for the addition of just one run to their overnight score. His two wickets sandwiched Shuvagata Hom’s dismissal for a duck, lbw to Shannon Gabriel. Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals after that. The middle order was able to get starts, but none of the batsmen were able to turn them into sizeable scores. Russell picked up three more wickets, including those of Nasir Hossain (29) and Mithun Ali (26), who added 45 for the seventh wicket, the largest partnership of the innings. Legspinner Veerasammy Permaul then wrapped up proceedings with two wickets in one over, leaving West Indies A needing 214 to chase. Russell finished with 5 for 36, giving him match figures of 9 for 78.The hosts lost two early wickets but after Danza Hyatt and Nkruma Bonner (21) had steadied the innings, Jonathan Carter came out and attacked the bowling, racing to 45 from just 46 balls, including five fours and two sixes. Together with Hyatt, who was steadfast at the other end, he added 66 vital runs, the highest partnership of the match so far. Hyatt was not out on 52 and West Indies A now have an excellent chance of claiming the series on the final day.

ScorecardJonny Bairstow cracked eight sixes during his hundred•Getty Images

England’s one-day tour of India is a chance for some of the youngsters to impress and two of them, Jonny Bairstow and Scott Borthwick, shone in the final warm-up match before the ODIs begin on Friday. Bairstow underlined his precocious talent with a thunderous 53-ball hundred as England piled up 367 for 4 then Borthwick took advantage of some slap-happy batting from the hosts to finish with 5 for 31 in a 253-run victory.Bairstow’s onslaught, which included eight sixes, built on solid work from the top order, including an opening stand of 159 between Alastair Cook and Craig Kieswetter, while Jonathan Trott also found form with 74 off 68 balls as he and Bairstow added 143. Bairstow’s second fifty took just 20 deliveries. The only batsman to miss out was Kevin Pietersen, who fell to the left-arm spin of Medhi Hasan for 10, and he has failed in both warm-ups on his return to the one-day side.Ian Bell sat out this match with a stomach upset and Ravi Bopara was rested following his 73 in the first game so, with Bairstow’s form clear, there are now some tricky selection issues ahead of the opening one-day international. Given that Pietersen has been brought on this tour rather than continuing his rest he is unlikely to be left out so Bell could be the player who has to make way.The top three, however, appear to be set in stone despite a few early doubts when Trott was named at No. 4 in the team sheet. England will need to be flexible with their thinking during the series, but the tried and tested order seems likely to start. Cook and Kieswetter reacquainted themselves in a productive partnership following the latter’s return from the Champions League and were not overly tested by a friendly home attack.However, after England’s less-than-inspiring display on Saturday when they were bowled out for 219 it was an important statement of intent to produce a commanding batting performance. Both openers could have reached three figures, but neither will be too concerned to have missed out as it ensured others had the chance for time in the middle. Cook, having again outscored his opening partner, was caught on the boundary and Kieswetter mistimed a pull.Pietersen was caught at backward point after a brief stay but England’s innings never threatened to lose direction as Trott and Bairstow combined in their different styles. Trott manoeuvred the field while Bairstow gave a display of the power and timing that had been on show during his ODI debut in Cardiff last month. The last 10 overs of England’s innings – outside of Powerplay restrictions under the new regulations – brought 105 runs.Despite a promising start against England’s pace bowlers – which included Stuart Meaker – the home side collapsed when spin came into the attack. A superb catch at slip from Cook to remove Akshath Reddy gave Borthwick his first wicket and the same combination struck again two balls later.Wickets continued to fall in a hurry and Meaker then got in on the act with three for himself in the 29th over as his pace proved too much for the lower order. Neither Borthwick nor Meaker are expected to push for initial selection in the series, but their performances will have been noted.It completed a fine day for England’s new faces but tougher challenges await.

Much has changed in West Indies cricket in the year since Denesh Ramdin last played a Test for them. Of the XI who started that game against South Africa in Barbados, only three others remain in the squad for next month’s tour of Bangladesh.With West Indies systematically losing their senior players either due to a lack of form, a lack of enthusiasm for the longer forms or a dispute with the board, Ramdin returns to the side as one of the most experienced players. He lost his place last year after a lean run in the home series against South Africa, making 34 runs from five ODIs and 63 runs in three Tests. It also cost him his central contract.”I’m delighted to be back after a year out of cricket at the international level,” he said on Saturday, just before Trinidad & Tobago started a lengthy training session in Bangalore. “I really worked hard on my game, this is really what I was waiting for. Hopefully I can put performances on the table.”His recall comes on the back of a successful domestic season with T&T, which he rounded off with a hundred and two fifties in his final three innings. “I was told I wasn’t getting runs, so I went back home and, at the domestic level, I got a lot of runs. Think they are probably satisfied with that, that’s why I am back.”He still faces competition from Carlton Baugh for a spot in the Test side, but is the first-choice keeper in limited-overs cricket. How has he kept himself motivated in his time away from the international scene? “Seeing my friends playing at the international level, I also wanted to get back there and play alongside them.”In almost all his international matches, he batted in the lower-middle order, something he wants to change in the years ahead. “Hopefully one day I will be opening the batting, be at the top of the order.”Still only 26, Ramdin was made West Indies vice-captain nearly three years ago, and could possibly have taken over as leader after Chris Gayle if he had maintained his form. Is that something he regrets? “No, I wasn’t thinking about the captaincy, I didn’t really get affected by anything like that. I was only concentrating on my own game.”

Match Facts

September 16, 2011, Lord’s
Start time: 11.30am (1030GMT)Who will have this tomorrow evening?•Clare Skinner/MCC

The Big Picture

The thrilling conclusion to the County Championship wasn’t quite the end of the domestic season. On Saturday the final piece of silverware will be contested as Somerset and Surrey go head-to-head for the Clydesdale Bank 40 trophy. It’s a match that pits together the recent bridesmaids of the county game with a dynamic, youthful team that appears to have turned the corner.Surrey have already celebrated this week after beating Derbyshire to secure Championship promotion. Under Rory Hamilton-Brown and Chris Adams they have pulled together an impressive team that suggests the dark days may be behind the county. A trophy in the cabinet would further suggest that they are a team who can rise up the domestic scene. They have reached the final playing an exciting brand of cricket led by fearless batsmen – Hamilton-Brown, Steven Davies, Jason Roy – and backed up by a powerful bowling unit that includes pace and spin.The batting feeds off the confidence instilled in the dressing room and they back themselves to attack throughout an innings. In the semi-final against Sussex they made 228 in 24 overs. A key part of their success has been with the spinners and there can sometimes be five options available to the captain even before Pragyan Ojha, the India left-armer, is considered.Somerset, meanwhile, continue to find that final hurdle the hardest one to cross. Runner’s up three times last season they have already finished second this summer in the Twenty20. At least that means a trip to the Champions League Twenty20 in India, but that also brings some major headaches as the team have to dash out of London on Sunday evening and will arrive in Hyderabad less than 24 hours before their opening match.However, that journey will feel so much easier if they have a victory behind them. The barrier now is psychological rather than a talent issue. Once losing in a final becomes a habit it can be hard to break.

Players to watch

Tom Maynard has excelled in his first season at Surrey after moving from Glamorgan. There is more than a hint of his dad, Matthew, in his strokeplay – especially on the leg side – and he isn’t afraid to go over the top. He is one of a crop of young batsmen who play fearlessly which makes for exciting cricket whether it comes off or not. A Lord’s final is a good stage to catch the eye.He has tried everything to be fit for this match, including an oxygen chamber, and Marcus Trescothick will battle through the pain to try and secure that elusive trophy. He damaged his ankle last month and is still someway short of full fitness but is confident he can last 80 overs of cricket. His presence at the top of the order will be a huge boost for Somerset.

Team news

Barring any last-minute issues, Trescothick will resume his role at the top of the order while Somerset will have both Craig Kieswetter and Jos Buttler once they make a late-night dash back from Cardiff where they have been playing for England.Somerset (possible) 1 Marcus Trescothick (capt), 2 Craig Kieswetter (wk), 3 Peter Trego, 4 James Hildreth, 5 Nick Compton, 6 Jos Buttler, 7 Craig Meschede, 8 Lewis Gregory, 9 Alfonso Thomas, 10 Murali Kartik, 11 Steve KirbySurrey have Jade Dernbach available and plenty of options to chose from. Yasir Arafat is set to be the overseas player ahead of Ojha, while Mark Ramprakash hasn’t been part of the one-day side.Surrey (possible) 1 Rory Hamilton-Brown, 2 Steven Davies (wk), 3 Jason Roy, 4 Tom Maynard, 5 Zander de Bruyn, 6 Chris Schofield, 7 Matthew Spriegel, 8 Gareth Batty, 9 Yasir Arafat, 10 Jade Dernbach, 11 Tim Linley

Pitch and conditions

Lessons have been learnt after staging last year’s final under floodlights and it’s a late-morning start which means the chilly evening will be avoided. That should also mean no undue advantage with the toss and the forecast is also pretty good although there could be the odd shower.

Stats and trivia

• Surrey last reached a Lord’s final in 2001 when they beat Gloucestershire by 47 runs with Ben Hollioake Man of the Match
• All Surrey’s likely top order, apart from Zander de Bruyn, have scored at over a run-a-ball in this season’s CB40
• Somerset’s last trophy came in the 2005 Twenty20 Cup

Quotes

“It’s never nice coming second as we know. We’ve done it a few times in the last couple of years. Hopefully the boys can use that inspiration to overcome it.”
Marcus Trescothick hopes to go one better“I’d like to think we are underdogs to be honest. Somerset have had a lot of success over the past couple of years in one-day cricket. Within our dressing-room we think we are good enough to win.”