Both sides indulge in poor batting at The Oval

Both sides batted poorly at The Oval with Surrey, 46-0 overnight, bowled out for 190 and Leicestershire following their self-destructive example in losing five wickets for 94.

Surrey's performance would have been more depressing still but for the batting of Ian Salisbury who came in when the score was 132-7 and top-scored with a resourceful unbeaten 36 which contained six boundaries.

Surrey met early reverses when Nadeem Shahid cut Devon Malcolm to gully and Mark Butcher ran himself out seeking an unlikely single to Darren Maddy at cover. Then off spinner Carl Crowe, whose 4-47 was a career best, took a hand.

He had Mark Ramprakash lbw shuffling across, bowled Ben Hollioake through the gate, had Adam Hollioake caught at fine leg sweeping and later had the left-handed Tim Murtagh caught at slip off one that turned away from him.

Ormond nipped in to bowl Jon Batty, who offered no stroke, and Martin Bicknell, caught at leg slip, and he also dismissed No 11 Ed Giddins with a yorker after the last wicket had added 32 runs.

When Leicestershire batted again Bicknell, though the game was dead, produced some high quality fast-medium bowling, his bounce and movement giving him the wickets of Maddy and Iain Sutcliffe, both caught behind, and Ben Smith, fencing to first slip.