Sam Evans takes his chance with gritty first ton for Leicestershire

Evans adds 130 for first wicket with Hassan Azad on weather-affected day at Surrey

Matt Roller15-Apr-2021Leicestershire 215 for 3 (Evans 100*, Azad 55) vs SurreySam Evans gritted out the entirety of an overcast first day at The Oval to compile his first Leicestershire hundred, blunting Surrey’s short-ball barrage amid regular stoppages for light rain and bad light.After winning the toss and choosing to bat on a flat pitch, Leicestershire fought hard throughout. They had no intentions of dominating Surrey, instead digging in for long periods and flicking the seamers off their pads when they strayed too straight, or cutting them away when they dropped short.Evans added 130 for the first wicket with Hassan Azad, his opening partner for two seasons at Loughborough MCCU and regularly in the club’s second team, and their determined stand was broken only by a miscued hook shot, which saw Azad caught on the long-leg boundary. Jordan Clark struck twice in an elongated final session, having Harry Dearden caught behind down the leg side for his 100th first-class wicket and trapping Colin Ackermann lbw, but Evans pressed on and reached his ton 15 minutes before the close, pinching a single to point off Amar Virdi to loud celebrations from his team-mates in the stands.Evans is Leicester born and bred, and has had to wait his turn for a chance in the county’s first team. After a handful of appearances while still studying for his geography degree, Evans started the abbreviated 2020 summer running the drinks, as Leicestershire brought Ben Slater in on loan for the first two games of the Bob Willis Trophy. Slater was recalled by Nottinghamshire, giving Evans an opportunity, but after his 85 against Durham, a couple of low scores in the final two games meant he was not guaranteed a spot at the start of this season.After scores of 3 and 8 against Hampshire in the season opener, this was Evans’ final chance to stake his claim for retention in the side ahead of Marcus Harris’ debut, which is pencilled in for the fixture against Somerset next week. It was not a chanceless innings – he was dropped at slip by Rory Burns on 42, took a glancing blow on the helmet from a Jamie Overton bouncer on 90 and survived a tight run-out chance in the final half-hour – but he scored heavily through cover-point, punching compactly off the back foot as Surrey targeted him with short stuff.Hassan Azad and Sam Evans added 130 for the first wicket•Getty ImagesIt was not always easy on the eye: Evans scored a solitary single in the ‘V’ down the ground, instead racking up nine boundaries between cover-point and third man and three more off his pads. Crucially, he was stubborn. The majority of Leicestershire’s batsmen – including the lower order – made starts in at least one innings in their heavy defeat last week, but Lewis Hill’s second-innings 65 was their highest score of the match. In batting for the whole day, Evans has laid the foundation on which they can build a substantial total tomorrow.”He’s got exceptional hands and we’ve always known his ability,” Azad said. “He loves batting. He’s a great guy to bat with because he’s so relaxed, and he’s a Leicester boy, through and through. He’ll be over the moon and I’m sure this is the first of many for him.”I think we’re quite different: Sam likes getting on the front foot and playing through the covers whereas I score more on the leg side and on the back foot. We know Marcus Harris’ quality, and we know that there’s competition for places. There’s always pressure, and that’s a good thing, but it does mean this game probably has a little bit more on it for opening batsmen.”