Ansari's joyful day turns sour

Until just before 4.15 pm, September 15, 2015 had been one of the better days in Zafar Ansari's young life. In the morning his name had been included in England's Test squad to play Pakistan next month. He had done the usual round of interviews and had spoken as articulately as ever about the possibility of making his debut. Later he went out to field and maybe bowl some overs of left-arm spin.

The 17th over of Lancashire's innings was bowled by Sam Curran. The fourth ball was short and outside the off stump. Ashwell Prince cut it savagely hard but in the air to cover point where Ansari was fielding. He dropped the catch and fell to the ground writhing in plain agony and gesturing to the changing room for assistance. He left the field with a bandage wedged between his injured left hand and his right.

Ansari went to hospital with Surrey physio, Alex Tysoe, and it later became known that he had dislocated his left thumb. Alec Stewart, Surrey's director of cricket, suggested it "didn't look good". He is set to be assessed in the days leading up to England's departure for the UAE on September 30. Everybody in the game will wish him rather more than all the best.

On the first day of this game film was shown of Brian Close batting against the West Indies in 1976. It reminded one how violent and dangerous cricket could be, even if "the old bald blighter", as Alan Gibson christened him, would never have expressed it in those terms. Ansari's injury reinforced the truth that this most beautiful and incomparable of games can also be savage and cruel, even to those it blesses with talent.

If, indeed, Ansari's injury rules him out of the tour, it is horrid bad luck but the temptation to term it a tragedy must be strongly resisted. Indeed, if there is any slight compensation to come from the incident, it is that such a misfortune could not have occurred to anyone better capable of coping with it. Ansari understands cricket's place in his world; if he cannot tour with England, he will do one of the many other things which pack his fulfilling young life.

And since it seems very probable that he will not be able to play for Surrey in what is left of this season, Ansari will be able to watch his county finish a season which now seems quite likely to end with them winning the Second Division title. They may even win the Royal London One-Day Cup as well, although Gloucestershire will have something to say about that on Saturday.

Certainly if Lancashire are to stay credibly in the hunt for the championship, they must avoid defeat in this match. On the evidence provided so far they will be hard pressed to do so, for this was a day which suggested just a few of the challenges Lancashire are likely to meet in the Second Division next season.

What made those challengers appear even more threatening yesterday was Ashwell Prince's announcement that he would be retiring from all cricket at the end of the season. Prince has been one of the mainstays of his side's batting over the past few seasons; indeed, he is still there on 38 not out going into the third day of this game. But replacing him will be mighty hard for Ashley Giles and also one of the Director of Cricket's priorities this autumn.

The importance of filling the vacancy was made even clearer on an afternoon which illustrated the wonderful young talents possessed by the 17-year-old Surrey swing bowler Same Curran. After his side had posted an impressive 480 in their first innings with Jason Roy, Gary Wilson and Batty himself all making fifties, Curran wrecked Lancashire's top order with the relish of a vandal in a pottery.

He swung one in to Haseeb Hameed to have the young opener leg before for 17; he produced a magnificent inswinging yorker to rap Karl Brown on the pads and send him on his way for 27; then, as if to prove he was no one-trick seamer, he extracted a little extra bounce from the Old Trafford pitch and moved the ball away from teven Croft who could do little but snick it to Foakes.

The departure of Croft, added to the loss of Alviro Petersen leg before to Tom Curran for a single, left Lancashire on 57 for 4 and even a brief recovery was extinguished when Phil Mustard was stumped by Foakes off Batty for 43 just before the close.

Prince is still there but he will not be at Emirates Old Trafford for very much longer. The onus must fall on those who have previously relied on him, and also on Giles to recruit wisely and well. For their part, Surrey can have had no better preparation for their trip across the river on Saturday. Even if it rains for two days, which is often a good bet in these parts, they have made a good case that they are the best side in Division Two.

Proving their credentials in the top tier will come later; for the moment their thought can rest on what they have achieved and with their splendid team-mate, Zafar Ansari.