Surrey salvage draw against Warwickshire at Edgbaston

Chasing only their second win in five outings of this year’s Rothesay County Championship first division, they sent in Warwickshire only to see the Bears amass a monumental 665-5 before declaring.

That left the three times champions with a match to save, but a decline to 217-5 and then 346-9 on day three left them under severe pressure.

Foakes had already established a county record by not conceding a bye in Warwickshire’s huge innings, which was built around centuries from New Zealander Tom Latham (184), Ed Barnard (177no) and Zen Malik (105no), the latter pair putting on 215 unbeaten.

Now Foakes’ fine form with the bat this season came to the rescue, making a career-best 174no.

His 10th wicket stand of 158 with last man Matt Fisher (40) overtook the 130 shared between Herbert Strudwick and Bill Hitch in Birmingham in 1911, Surrey’s previous best against Warwickshire, and came close to seeing off the 173 stand – best against all-comers – between Andy Ducat and Andy Sandham against Essex at Leyton in 1921.

More immediately, it took the visitors to 504 all out, just failing to save the follow on but having batted so deep into the final day that a draw which had looked likely for much of the match was confirmed.

Warwickshire made 15-0 in their second innings before a well-timed thunderstorm allowed everyone to go home early.

Surrey took 11 points from the match – just two fewer than their hosts, which suggests the system needs revising – and are fourth in the table, 20 points behind surprise frontrunners Nottinghamshire.

They have yet to find the form which has seen them dominate the competition in recent years, with victories against Yorkshire this weekend and Essex (May 23-26) at the Kia Oval now particularly important.

Of most concern will be that in three matches on the road, against Essex, Sussex and Warwickshire, they have conceded 582-6dec, 435 and 665-5dec respectively in the first innings.

They have been forced to follow on in two of them.

It’s no surprise that rival counties have been keen to spike the guns of Surrey’s seam attack.

That has been partly by design – they have every right to do so – but has also helped by the unusually dry weather so far this season, exposing the major weakness in the attack, the lack of a specialist spinner.

Foakes admitted that it has been hard going so far.

"It’s not easy taking wickets on these pitches, so we have to try to work out ways to get them," he said.

"There are definitely ways – you have to be creative."

Looking back at the Edgbaston match, he added: "We had a job to do and just had to bat as long as possible.

"Matt played really well – it helped that he’s not really a number 11.

"After we lost some wickets and were 210-5, it was just about trying to occupy the crease and earn a draw.

"We had to bat sensibly and I guess I do bat sensibly, so that fitted my mould."

With Australian batsman Kurtis Patterson not regarded as match ready – he only has two games left of his spell – Surrey sprang a surprise giving Jason Roy a first-class outing after five years, but he made only two.