County Championship: Surrey set for first-innings lead against Middlesex

Rory Burns has not played a Test match for England since January 2022

Rory Burns led from the front with a fluent and aggressive 88 as Surrey moved into a strong position on 190-3, only 19 runs behind Middlesex at the halfway stage of their County Championship match at the Kia Oval.

But the most eye-catching innings of a second day cut short to 42 overs by bad weather was Jamie Smith's 55 not out, with the 22-year old dazzling those hardy souls who braved the chill and cheerless conditions in south London - with some memorable and high-class strokes.

Smith helped his captain Burns to add 75 in 15 overs for Surrey's third wicket, after both Dom Sibley and Ryan Patel had gone cheaply following a morning session almost entirely lost to rain, and was then joined by Ben Foakes in a further unbroken partnership of 53 before bad light intervened again at 17:07 BST. Play was finally called off for the day at 18:00.

Foakes remained unbeaten on 22, a solid effort in itself as Middlesex's four seamers strained for further breakthroughs, and perhaps a defining moment of the match came immediately before the players left the field for the final time - with Smith dropped by Stephen Eskinazi at first slip off Ethan Bamber.

Surrey had resumed on 21 without loss but there was time for just 11 balls before bad light and rain drove the players off until 13:50, and Burns and Sibley's opening alliance had realised 49, in testing circumstances, when Sibley (13) edged Bamber's third ball to first slip.

Soon Surrey were 62-2 with Patel undone on five when he tried to pull his bat out of the way of a lifting ball from Ryan Higgins, only for it to deflect off a glove to Max Holden at third slip.

Smith, however, majestically drove his first ball on the up through square cover for four and, while Burns cruised past 50 with some excellent shots of his own - a number of them from several steps down the pitch as he tried to negate the still-seaming ball - it was the brilliance of his younger partner which stood out.

Smith's first six scoring shots were all fours, including an immaculate straight drive off Higgins punched all along the ground between non-striker Burns and the umpire, and later he skipped out to the same bowler and hoisted him effortlessly for six to wide long-on.

By then, however, Burns had gone to a thin edge to keeper John Simpson off Higgins as he again advanced down the pitch, but it had been a fine and urgent effort from the former England Test opener, who looked in great touch. He faced only 105 balls, pulling Toby Roland-Jones for six over mid-wicket and also hitting 11 fours.

Smith, who also survived a low chance to gully off Roland-Jones on 26, completed an 83-ball half-century with a whip for three wide of mid-on off Tim Murtagh, and he quickly celebrated the milestone by lifting Bamber over mid-wicket for his ninth four.

Report supplied by ECB Reporters' Network.