Strong finances, passionate coaches, a flow of excellent raw material and a ban on ‘the Surrey strut’ have made the Oval an enviable talent nursery
Rory Burns, England’s opener-in-waiting? An off-spinner coming up through the age groups. Batted No 8 until he was 17. Still secretly bowls very good off-breaks. Olly Pope, England’s 10th youngest Test batting debutant of all time? Didn’t score a fifty until he was 16. And while you’re here, Sam Curran, 11 wickets against India, man of the series? Always a batsman coming up. Bowled “floaty little left-armers and a very quick bouncer”.
If you want deep background on the most gripping bunch of young cricketers in the country, or arguably anywhere in the world right now, the best people to speak to are probably the ones just off stage. Much has already been made of the home-grown nature of Surrey’s County Championship pennant, sealed last week with victory against Worcestershire at New Road. But it is an achievement that gets a little more striking the closer you look.
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