With two wickets left and six runs needed to win, Surrey looked close to victory against Yorkshire in their County Championship Division One match at The Kia Oval on Friday. India’s Auqib Nabi, making his County Championship debut, hit Ben Coad for a six over deep mid-wicket.
The Surrey dressing room would have felt that the match was almost won. However, Nabi was caught at mid-on off the very next ball while attempting another boundary. That left Surrey needing two runs with their last wicket pair of Dan Worrall and Josh Blake at the crease.
The two failed to score from the next 10 balls, including a maiden over from George Hill. Hill beat Blake’s outside edge five times during the over and finished with 4-52 from 23 overs. But Coad’s next delivery to Worrall brought the match to an end, as the No. 11 sliced the ball over square cover for the winning boundary.
Surrey won by one wicket, narrowly denying Yorkshire the chance to defend their target of 185.
Josh Blake and Matt Fisher played key roles in Surrey’s chase. Blake remained unbeaten on 43 from 183 balls, while Fisher scored 33 to complete a match in which he made an impact with both bat and ball against his native and former county.
The pair came together when Surrey were 115-7 in pursuit of 185 and added 55 runs for the eighth wicket across 23 overs. Fisher was eventually dismissed after edging a drive from Hill to third slip.
That brought Nabi to the crease and he immediately swung Coad for six. But with Surrey needing only two more runs, Nabi attempted another big shot and was caught at mid-on from the next delivery.
Worrall and Blake then had to survive 10 balls without scoring before Worrall found the winning boundary off Coad.
Fisher had revealed on the opening evening that he had started to fear relegation. A defeat would have left Surrey in a difficult position with three matches still to play. Instead, the victory lifted them above Yorkshire and moved them into mid-table.
Brief score:
Yorkshire 185 & 82: Luxton 29; Fisher 6-25
Surrey 83 & 187-9: Blake 43*; Hill 4-52
Surrey beat Yorkshire by 1 wicket