Spinners dominate as Hampshire toil on first-day at The Oval

On a wicket that took turn before lunch, winning the toss and batting first was perhaps not the option that skipper Robin Smith should have chose, when after a truncated day at the AMP Oval, Hampshire were bowled out for 190 just before the close.

Martin Bicknell and James Ormond got some early life as the Hampshire openers toiled, but it was really the introduction of Saqlain, just returned from his Morrocan adventure that set the standard for the day.

Saqlain with assistance at the other end from Ian Salisbury, bowled 34 overs, taking five wickets, and causing much consternation with the Hampshire batsmen.

At 93-6, Dimitri Mascarenhas and Nic Pothas shared a partnership of 68, with Pothas recoding his third half century of the season.

For three overs near the end of the day, the Surrey bowlers deliberately bowled down the leg side to avoid taking a wicket that would have meant the home side batting that evening, a point of negativity that did not seem to come to the attention of the umpires.