Mahmood tops Foxes

County Championship D1, The Oval, day one: Surrey 182-2 v Leicestershire 200

Match scorecard

Azhar Mahmood took five wickets at The Oval to bowl Leicestershire out for 200 and raise Surrey's hopes of reclaiming Championship top spot.

And the defending champions then went about emphasising their superiority as a batting line-up again ignoring Graham Thorpe reached 182-2 by the end of the first day.

Mahmood struck four times in his opening spell, and Martin Bicknell had Darren Maddy caught behind to leave the visitors 47-5 in the 19th over.

The Pakistan all-rounder was required to return to break an eighth-wicket stand of 85, having David Masters caught for 33.

Compatriot Saqlain Mushtaq bowled Phil DeFreitas for a 58-ball 67 shortly afterwards but the Foxes added 33 for the last wicket, Charlie Dagnall finishing 23 not out.

Bat continued to dominate as Surrey took the crease, although Ian Ward was bowled DeFreitas for 19 and Mark Butcher fell to Devon Malcolm for 39.

Alec Stewart and Mark Ramprakash both hit half-centuries in an unbeaten stand of 102, Stewart taking the lead in a 67-ball 58 not out, with 11 fours.

India's Virender Sehwag, in his first Championship outing with the ball, took particularly heavy punishment, conceding 26 runs off four overs.

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Teams:

Surrey: M A Butcher, I J Ward, M R Ramprakash, A J Stewart (Wkt) A D Brown, A J Hollioake (Capt), R Clarke, Azhar Mahmood M P Bicknell, Saqlain Mushtaq, I D K Salisbury.

Leicestershire: T R Ward, V Sehwag, D L Maddy, B J Hodge D I Stevens, P A Nixon (Wkt), J N Snape, P A J DeFreitas (Capt) D D Masters, D S Brignull, D E Malcolm.