As 190 runs in little more than 85 overs would suggest, there have been more entertaining days at the AMP Oval this season than what was served up yesterday. In fact it could not have been in greater contrast to the pizzazz of the floodlit game the night before. Having won the toss and elected to bat, the way Hampshire set about the task of building a first innings total was perplexing to say the least.

The visitors scored eleven runs from the bat in the first 13 overs, whereupon Saqlain Mushtaq - just arrived back from the Morocco Cup - went to work. The Pakistani off-spinner made the initial breakthrough in his second over, having Jason Laney caught at short leg for five. From that point onwards Hampshire batted as if they were trying to avert the follow-on.

In their defence the pitch, which was probably drier than the one Saqlain encountered in Tangiers last week, was not conducive to strokeplay. With the ball occasionally keeping low from the Vauxhall End and spitting off a length every so often from the other, unless the weather intervenes it seems unlikely this match will see a fourth day.

Denied the services of John Crawley, making runs was always going to be a challenge against an attack of Surrey’s quality, especially as Hampshire have made just six championship scores over 300 all summer. In Crawley’s place Lawrence Prittipaul was favoured over Jimmy Adams, thus denying the 21-year-old his first appearance in the County Championship. The only unexpected change for the home side was the inclusion of Scott Newman, who makes his first-class debut at the expense of Rikki Clarke, who is still sidelined with a back injury.

The lack of action gave spectators the opportunity to note a few asides, Jonathan Batty nearly decapitating Alistair Brown at slip when he threw off his glove to retrieve a ball from square leg for instance. But if the shortage of runs was infuriating nothing could beat the way Nic Pothas, who appeared to be wearing not one but two thigh pads, marked out his guard prior to almost every ball and regularly fiddled with his cuffs.

How sad that one should have noticed these things, but with the Greek passport holder taking 155 minutes over his 58, it was impossible not to. Apart from him, no other batsman made more than 36. Just how Will Kendall managed to was a mystery. He edged the majority of his boundaries through the slips and in the 27th over nearly chopped a ball from Jimmy Ormond on to his stumps.

At the other end Neil Johnson was caught low and to the keeper’s left off Ormond. Robin Smith went soon afterwards to a catch at silly mid-off and John Francis dabbed a slower delivery, which the keeper and the slips came forward for in unison, to Batty. Two balls later Pothas was put down at third slip off Jimmy Ormond, who was only called upon to bowl one more over.

Ian Salisbury returned after a two-match absence following the birth of his daughter to operate in tandem with Saqlain Mushtaq. Between them they claimed eight wickets, including the next two in successive overs - Kendall to a catch at silly mid-off off Saqlain and Prittipaul, who was leg before to one that kept low for a duck.

Salisbury added the scalps of Dimitri Mascarenhas and Shaun Udal to his tally, leaving his partner to polish off the tail and claim his best return of the season so far.

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