Rahul Chahar seven-for leaves Hampshire dangling over the drop
Key Takeaways
- Hampshire is on the verge of relegation from County Championship Division One.
- Surrey leg-spinner Rahul Chahar took 7 wickets for 45 runs in Hampshire's second innings.
- Hampshire collapsed dramatically from 61/0 to 148/9 while chasing 181 runs.
- Bad light stopped play with Hampshire needing 33 more runs to win and stay up.
- Kyle Abbott reached 56 wickets for the season, surpassing his tally from the previous year.
Hampshire is perilously close to relegation from the Rothesay County Championship Division One following a disastrous batting performance against Surrey at the Utilita Bowl. Surrey's India international leg-spinner Rahul Chahar exploited the turning pitch in his debut Championship appearance, taking a remarkable 7 wickets for 45 runs. This spell caused Hampshire to collapse from a promising 61 without loss to 148 for 9 in their pursuit of a 181-run target. Play was halted by bad light with Hampshire still needing 33 runs overnight, leaving their fate hanging in the balance, with only a slim statistical chance of avoiding the drop. The day also saw Kyle Abbott achieve his fourth five-wicket haul of the season, while Hampshire struggled with a bowler down due to an injury sustained by Washington Sundar the previous evening.
