Butcher backing Surrey batsmen

7:46am Thursday 17th April 2008

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Croydon's Mark Butcher is confident Surrey's batsmen can match run machine Mark Ramprakash when the Liverpool Victoria County Championship Division One starts this week.

The 38-year-old former England batsmen plundered more than 2,000 runs at an average in excess of 100 last season to help the Brit Oval side stave off relegation after a miserable start to the campaign.

Surrey failed to win any of their opening seven fixtures but, with the help of evergreen Ramprakash and the wickets of young paceman Chris Jordan, recovered to finish fourth.

And Butcher, who believes his side can mature from a contrasting season in 2007, is confident the batting line-up will deliver the goods to sustain a championship title.

"Individually, players have understood a bit more about what it takes to be a good team," he said ahead of this week's opening four-day clash with Lancashire.

"People didn't understand how difficult it could be to set your stall out and win cricket matches and to play out those tough scenarios and come out on top of them.

"Ramps scored unbelievable quantities of runs and the difference was the next guy nearest to him got about 1,000 runs fewer.

"It was an abnormal season for us as batsmen but, when we needed something, somebody stuck up their hands.

"I fully expect us to score more runs as a unit this year."