Ryan Patel

If you had to choose one moment when Surrey's Championship-winning season of 2018 caught fire, it might be a June afternoon in Guildford when Ryan Patel, who had previously taken only two first-class wickets in seven matches, shook the then-leaders Somerset with five wickets in 11 balls, swinging the ball lavishly as he returned 6 for 5 in only 3.5 overs in one of the most remarkable interventions ever seen at Woodbridge Road. Patel's incredible sequence caused Somerset to follow-on, the match was lost and Surrey never looked back.

He was an ever-present for the 2022 title win, impacting in his primary suit as a left-handed opener, while his right-arm medium pace picked up four wickets. Sandwiched between Rory Burns and Hashim Amla in an unchanged top-three for all 14 matches, he managed 719 at 35.95. A second career first-class century against Somerset in the third match of the summer was his only three-figure score of the Division One campaign, but he set a new career best of 126 against a Sri Lanka Development XI at Guilford in May.

To have cemented his spot in this XI was all the more impressive given it was a journey that began with no guarantees given Surrey's deep talent and pockets. He is a Surrey Academy graduate who has been in the system since the age of eight. He won a place in Surrey's Championship side in late 2017 and opened the batting on his first-class debut in a derby against Middlesex - a game where Surrey created history by becoming the first county side since World War 2 to field four teenagers, Patel included, in a Championship game. Most impressive was his 81 to secure a draw against Hampshire on a testing pitch at the Ageas Bowl.

He was again a Championship regular in 2019, though his contributions were limited other than his maiden first-class ton in a high-scoring draw against Essex at the start of the season, while he also made List A and T20 debuts.

ESPNcricinfo staff