IF pick up County Championship Trophy in September, it will be the first time a team has been crowned champions three years in a row since Brian Close led Yorkshire to the treble in 1966, 67 and 68 – when they defeated the touring Australians by an innings margin Was. Surrey finished that year in 15th place – having only four wins in 28 matches.
The tables have turned a bit since then. Where? Yorkshire has slipped from disaster to disaster Over the past few years, the good ship Surrey has sailed peacefully. But change is happening. After spending 11 years as director of cricket and 23 years on the playing staff, Alec Stewart, Mr Surrey – with immaculate whites and ironed collars, a 6am gym goer and a military posture – left at the end of the season to spend more He spent time with his family, especially his wife Lynn, who has cancer.
Surrey head coach Gareth Batty, who has worked with Stewart since 2022, knows how big of a hole he will leave.
“Alec is irreplaceable,” says Batty. “There is no person in world cricket who can do the job he has at Surrey, because of who he is and all the history he has with the club. We can just do our best and make sure we implement all the hard work.”
The pair have been in a relationship richly successful – Two championships in two seasons – but how does the communication between a director of cricket and his head coach actually work?
“I guess he tells me what to do and I do it!” Batty says. “He is the line manager and my role is the day-to-day activities with the playing team and he controls everything else, discussions with the board, managers, player contracts, the nuances of the professional game. The DOC hires and fires and ultimately gets the blame. There are a lot of moving parts. We speak every day and if not, the next morning. There has to be a fluid relationship between us, between the three of us, with (club captain) Rory Burns. It will be difficult to change that part also.”
Burns, who was a regular fixture with the England team during the pre-baseball era, had an interesting season last year, leading the team to the title, but did not make the run that he or the club had hoped for. Was done. However, Batty is confident that he will make a comeback with a bang in 2024. “I am confident that Rory will have a great season both as a captain and a batsman. He is the best captain in the County Championship and anyone who doubts that can take a look at his trophy cabinet.
The Surrey team, which begins its title defense against Lancashire at Old Trafford on Friday, is largely unchanged from last year – with fan favorite Kemar Roach returning for a fourth year and a good amount of Ollie Pope and Ben Foakes. Expect to play championship. Cricket, however, will look to harness the talents of Sam Curran and Will Jacks for the IPL opening round. One big name signing was Essex boy and man Dan Lawrence, who decided that Surrey was the best suited club for his ambitions. It’s a risk, he goes from being the star attraction to making a splash in a team full of big names.
“He’ll bring some energy to our side,” says Batty. “He made the move because he feels like this is the only place that will best guide him to where he wants to go, so it’s exciting to see him move forward.” Is ready to make sacrifices. Hopefully we can add something to their bowling, there’s a lot in the spin department.”
One criticism that is leveled at Surrey, apart from the wide-eyed sighs over their money pot and favorable position, is their reliance on a series of right-arm seam bowlers, which has left Amar Virdi in the second team and Dan Moriarty Have pushed. Yorkshire is looking for more opportunities.
But Batty, the off-spinner who has played nine Tests, is not paid to spin romantic tales of two men. “As a player obviously I had a passion for spin, as a coach I have a passion for helping 28 guys win. Will (the attack) be the same this year? It depends on how everyone is playing. I want spin to play a bigger role, but if you have a pace attack like ours, it’s proof…”
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Batty is trying to attract some elements from outside the game, talking to Premier League football managers, increasingly using data – for example GPS tags on players to track movement on the field. – So that they can provide better comfort to the players. But there is no science that can make you win championships, it requires sacrifice of body, sweat and a lot of tears.
“Obviously some of it is due to the size of the team, or luck or the weather. We’re just like everyone else, the advantage we have is that we’ve done it before. You work harder, improve on mistakes and make more mistakes. “We have been a good team but we can be even better.”
And is the championship still the number one trophy, even for young kids coming into the franchise era?
“They understand what it means, I think we can say that guys who work hard and win county championships for six months feel fulfilled as a player and a human being. Some franchise competitions can make you feel incomplete as a human being.
Alec Stewart, who still beats some younger kids in the gym, might approve.
