The Lions' riposte when it finally came last weekend was fierce and decisive. Sussex were brushed aside in the championship game by a considerable margin. This certainly went some way to make up for a dismal showing against Derbyshire in the Natwest quarterfinal.
Now all eyes are on the current championship match with the same opponents.
The main reason for Surrey's success in the four-day game this season has been timely contributions from all the squad members at key times. This is doubly important when Test calls cause star players to be missing and has been underpinned by Adam Hollioake's insistence on unity and mutual respect.
This does not hide the fact that Saqlain has given the crucial edge. His ability to bamboozle batsmen is staggering and his career best 7 for 30 in last week's game was richly deserved.
If they go on to win the title, it will be to Surrey's credit that they did it with a finger spinner as their overseas player.
Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000.Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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