Latham leaves champions in a Surrey state!

TOM Latham scored a debut century as Warwickshire reached 364 for four against Surrey on the opening day of their Rothesay County Championship Division One match at Edgbaston.

- By ECB REPORTERS NETWORK

New Zealand batter Latham struck an unbeaten 139 (244 balls) after Surrey chose to bowl on another belter of a batting pitch at Edgbaston. Rob Yates scored 86 (151) against the champions’ much-changed team with Ollie Pope, Jamie Smith and Gus Atkinson having departed on England duty.

Surrey are also without Dan Worrall who they decided to spare the hard labour on a pitch which appears so good for batting that the best chance of victory lies in a fourth day run-chase.

Warwickshire, meanwhile, are without young seamer Michael Booth who will be sidelined for two to three months by a stress fracture of the fibula. Barbados-born Che Simmons has come into the team for his home championship debut.

Against a Surrey attack including debutant Nathan Smith. Warwickshire started serenely in the Second City sunshine as