Thanks to Mushtaq Ahmed, Leicestershire were facing the prospect of following-on when play finally ended at seven o’clock last night. A post tea spell of three for 43 in sixteen overs from the Pakistani leg-spinner left the home side in some trouble after Darren Maddy had followed up his five for 104 with a mature 81.

Last week the Surrey manager Keith Medlycott predicted that Mushtaq would supply some mystique. Although his first wicket in chocolate trim may have been 55 overs in the making, the Pakistani finally delivered just that. The trigger was his decision to switch to the Bennett End after nine fairly unremarkable overs up the hill.

Mushtaq Ahmed opened his account by having the resolute Iain Sutcliffe taken at the wicket off a top edged cut. Next, Martin Bicknell, bowling for the first time since 23 June, tucked up Darren Stevens with a short ball, which the 26-year-old dabbed on to his stumps. ‘Mushy’ then dispatched Kaif and Maddy in the space of two overs.

After surviving an earlier shout for lbw, when he padded away a googly, Mohammad Kaif was not allowed to get away with it a second time. Darren Maddy, having just reached his highest score of the season, played back and was trapped in front by one that skidded on.

Jimmy Ormond was then employed from the Pavilion End for the first time and promptly undid Rob Cunliffe with an outswinging yorker, all of which left Neil Burns and Philip DeFreitas - both of whom have made centuries this season - with a battle on their hands when play resumes today with Leicestershire still trailing Surrey by 275 runs.

In the morning session the visitors advanced their overnight score by 86 to record their highest ever total at Grace Road. DeFreitas, reverting to bowling seam-up, made the early inroads, taking two for 13 in a tight eight-over spell with the new ball. The 36-year-old trapped Alex Tudor leg before with his first delivery then had Mushtaq Ahmed caught behind off the glove when the Pakistani shaped to hook four overs later.

Rikki Clarke, who required a runner after injuring his back playing football on Wednesday evening, then put on 52 in 15 overs with Bicknell. Despite being troubled by anything full, Clarke added eight boundaries to his tally before going caught behind off a wide delivery for 95.

The 20-year-old has now made 701 first-class runs, which, depending on the extent of his injury, puts him on course to become only the second Surrey player to record a thousand runs in his debut season - the other was Sir Jack Hobbs in 1905.

Darren Maddy claimed his second five-wicket haul of the summer, when he polished off the visitors by dividing Ormond’s middle and off stumps, to leave his side needing 391 to avoid the follow-on.

Leicestershire started brightly, reaching fifty in the fifteenth over when Trevor Ward angled Martin Bicknell down to third man, which has proved to be an extremely productive area for run-making during the opening two days. The 34-year-old then struck a blistering four through extra cover and was attempting another one in the next over when he gave a shoulder high catch to Brown at first slip off the bowling of Tudor.

What followed was two hours of insipid cricket in which Sutcliffe progressed from twenty-two at the fall of the first wicket to 37 at tea. Maddy, who provided what entertainment there was, completed an 85-ball fifty just before the break. Eight of Jimmy Ormond’s first ten overs were maidens, but in his fifth Darren Maddy pulled the former Leicestershire man over backward square leg for six then immediately straight drove him for four to post the fifty partnership for the second wicket.

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