Somerset head coach Jason Kerr has acknowledged that his team will need some luck elsewhere to achieve their ambition of winning the County Championship for the first time.
The West Country side lost their lead atop Division One last week after suffering a heavy 185-run defeat at Yorkshire. On the final day at Headingley, Somerset required 214 runs with seven wickets remaining but were dismissed for a mere 28 runs, losing all remaining wickets quickly.
This setback leaves Warwickshire holding an 11-point lead over Somerset ahead of the final round of fixtures, with Nottinghamshire trailing a further four points in third place.
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The concluding matches begin on Thursday, with Nottinghamshire hosting Yorkshire, Somerset welcoming Surrey to Taunton, and Warwickshire taking on Leicestershire, who are managed by former Somerset player Alfonso Thomas.
Despite various potential scenarios, Kerr insists that Somerset’s primary focus must remain on their own performance against Surrey. “First and foremost, what we have to do is beat Surrey. We can’t control what happens up the road, but we need things to go our way for sure,” he said.
Reflecting on the disappointing final-day collapse against Yorkshire, Kerr commented: “It was really disappointing. We had belief, we needed early partnerships, but we felt like we’d have an opportunity. It seemed like the characteristics of the pitch from days one and two returned. There was a ridiculous amount of life in that surface for a day-four pitch.”
Discussing the players’ mindset, Kerr added: “It’s huge. You can probably feel it out here. We knew the magnitude of this game and, unfortunately, Yorkshire played the better cricket.”