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Meaker’s pace unsettles Lancashire
- Updated: August 23, 2016
Surrey 50 for 0 trail Lancashire 287 (Clark 56, S Curran 4-61) by 237 runsScorecard
Stuart Meaker can be a thrilling sight. His run-up oozes effort and intent, a bowler hurling everything of himself at his opponent. His action is powerful and muscular, and what comes next is very, very quick: at Loughbrough, Meaker was once famously clocked at 96mph.
Add in a penchant for reverse swing, an incisive yorker and an awkward bouncer, and it is little wonder that England’s selectors have been interested in Meaker for many years. Rumours of his pace, which sometimes gained a few mph in the telling, were swirling from his 20th birthday.
But, as of now, aged 27, he has made just two ODI and to T20I appearances and has spent much of the last four years a frustrated man. He lost a little of his zip and, perhaps, a little more of his self-belief. Last season a sad ritual would be the sight of Meaker, unselected, bowling on the outfield striving to relocate rhythm. By the summer’s end, all he had to show for his efforts were five Division Two wickets at 56.20 apiece.
Then, just to cap it, after an injury-free pre-season, came a freak groin injury at the end of March, sustained when Meaker refrained from wearing a box in the nets.
This unfortunate injury delayed Meaker’s comeback, but it did not deprive him of his vim. After missing Surrey’s opening five matches, Meaker announced his return with 4 for 78 at Old Trafford in May, even as Surrey succumbed to an innings defeat. He has not missed a Championship match since; his oomph has returned, and been rewarded by a new two-year contract.
On a resplendent summer’s day at The Oval, Meaker provided a …
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