Dave Bracegirdle
Amar Virdi spun Surrey to a convincing victory over Nottinghamshire on the third afternoon of their Specsavers County Championship match at Trent Bridge.
Virdi took six for 78 as Notts were bowled out for 181 in their second innings, giving the visitors a comfortable win by 167 runs.
The 20-year old spinner, who had claimed eight for 61 in Nottinghamshire’s first innings, won’t find many surfaces more conducive to his loopy, well-flighted, off-spin than this dry Nottingham track.
His side had declared their second innings closed on 224 for nine during the opening hour of the day, setting their hosts a victory target of 349.
Jordan Clark made 54, adding to the splendid 55 compiled by team-mate Jamie Smith on the second day.
Nottinghamshire’s Ravichandran Ashwin had almost gone toe-for-toe with Virdi throughout the match but he had to be content with a match haul of 12 for 144 after taking six second innings Surrey wickets for 75.
In just three matches Ashwin has taken 23 wickets for Notts, an average of only 19 runs apiece, yet finished on the losing side each time.
At the start of the day, with the visitors resuming their second innings on 184 for seven, Clark reached his first Surrey 50 from 83 balls before falling lbw to the Indian Test match spinner.
Ashwin needed only eight more deliveries to claim his sixth victim as Batty tried to slog-sweep the 32-year old but only succeeded in ballooning the ball high to Jake Libby at midwicket for 29.
Morne Morkel clubbed Liam Patterson-White over the midwicket ropes for six but after pulling two short-pitched Zak Chappell bouncers for fours, the innings was closed.
Ben Slater fell to Morne for the second time in the match at the start of the run chase – the opener falling without scoring.
Notts were three wickets down by lunch, with Virdi removing both Tom Moores and Libby in quick succession.
It became a procession soon after the restart as Samit Patel became the third leg before decision of the innings.
Steven Mullaney and Liam Patterson-White were dismissed in consecutive overs from Batty, as the home side slid to 73 for seven.
It became 92 for eight when Rikki Clarke scooped up a low catch off Luke Wood at slip, to give Virdi his fifth of the innings.
There was a little bit of self-deprecation as the home crowd applauded the 100 being reached but it gave way to genuine appreciation as Ashwin and Stuart Broad – who didn’t bowl a single delivery in Surrey’s second innings, despite being fit to do so – counter-attacked.
Broad made 30 out of the 56-run stand before being drawn forward and smartly stumped by Smith off Virdi, who duly celebrated his 14th success of the match.
Zak Chappell was last out, giving Batty figures of three for 62 leaving Ashwin unbeaten on 66.
The mercurial international had defied the visitors for almost two hours, hitting eight fours and a six from the 79 balls he faced.
Surrey take 20 points from the contest to move further away from their opponents, who collected just three bonus points and are cut adrift and look set for an imminent return to Division Two.
