Cricket: Saqlain emphasises Surrey's supremacy

Surrey 171 and 482 Hampshire 322 and 175 Surrey win by 156 runs

IT WOULD be Sod's Law if the uncertainty in Pakistan reached far beyond Kashmir, to as far west as Kennington, London SE11. Surrey have an agreement in writing with the Pakistan Cricket Board that they can keep their weaver of spells Saqlain Mushtaq until the end of the season, or at least until their interest in the destiny of the County Championship dissipates for one reason or another.

Given that their cricket board has just been suspended by the Pakistan government following the fiasco of the World Cup final defeat any and all agreements between the board and other parties may now be rendered null and void; so if someone dreams up - as seems to happen so often these days - yet another one-day tournament between now and the end of the season, Surrey may find themselves having to give up their match winner.

In fact, that is unlikely to happen, the series against India is off and the Sahara Cup has been cancelled later this season. So Saqlain should be able to fulfil the role he does best, winning matches. He claimed four more wickets yesterday morning for a return of 6 for 44 - he now has 19 at 12.16 - to spin Surrey to a thumping victory over Hampshire and settle, quite emphatically, this top-of-the-table clash.

And there is not much stopping them from keeping top spot, on paper at least, even without their England men. Their run-in does not look over taxing until the last match of the season against Yorkshire at the Oval.

That, however, is on paper. They have slipped up before, last season being freshest in the memory.

Hampshire had arrived at the Woodbridge Road ground in second place and departed in third with their tails between their legs. When they resumed yesterday they still required a further 233 runs to win, with six second innings wickets standing.

Captain Robin Smith was there, perhaps not over-keen to tackle too much of Saqlain - it was noted by a spectator that he had a tendency to steal a single or a leg bye off the first ball of any over he faced from the Pakistani Test off-spinner.

The nightwatchman, Peter Hartley, did not look unduly uncomfortable against Saqlain and lasted for just over half an hour. When he went it was to pace, not spin, falling leg before to one that kept low from Martin Bicknell. When Adrian Aymes was caught, attempting a sweep against Saqlain, the cracks began to appear.

Although John Stephenson adopted an aggressive approach, smacking a six and a four in an 11-run haul off one Saqlain over, at the other end of the wicket Smith had allowed himself to become badly bogged down.

In the last 52 minutes of his innings he scored just one run and finally was comprehensively bowled middle stump by one of Saqlain's mystery balls. Nixon McLean fell in the same over and Dimitri Mascarenhas gave leg-spinner Ian Salisbury a deserved wicket and it was all over by 12.31pm.