Surrey County Cricket Club have launched a new campaign to engage with younger audiences and to help build a strong connection with the history of the game and the power of the sport.
The campaign will build on something cricket fans already know: it’s not just sport, it’s art.
Surrey and the Surrey Cricket Foundation are challenging young people to recreate iconic photos from the history of Surrey and of cricket at The Kia Oval as pieces of art for the chance to win some brilliant prizes.
To learn more about the campaign details click here.
There are three categories to choose from: Surrey Today, Surrey Legends and Internationals at The Kia Oval (post-2000)!
To see the Surrey Today category, click here and to see the Surrey Legends category click here
If International Cricket is your thing, however, scroll through the pictures below, make your choice of which to recreate as art and then keep reading to the bottom of the page to learn all about these incredible moments and inspiring people!
Internationals at The Kia Oval
Keep reading to learn more about each image…
Internationals at The Kia Oval
Alastair Cook’s Final Test, 2018
Sir Alastair Cook CBE would walk out to the middle to bat for his country one last time in 2018. His final Test was against India at The Kia Oval, and he would sign off in fitting fashion – with a century.
Cook still plays at County level for Essex County Cricket Club, maintaining his lifelong love for a sport in which he once played for England in all international formats.
A former captain of the England Test and One-Day International (ODI) teams, he is the fifth-highest Test run scorer of all time and holds a number of English and international records.
Cook was appointed MBE in 2011 and promoted to CBE in 2016 for services to cricket. In the 2019 New Year Honours, Cook was knighted for services to cricket.
On the occasion of England’s 1000th Test in August 2018, he was named in the country’s greatest Test XI by the ECB.
Playing host to the final performance of one of England’s greatest players and captains is an iconic moment in the history of The Kia Oval.
Freddie’s Final Hurrah, 2009
“A direct hit from Flintoff” said the commentator, but it somehow understated the moment.
Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff, at 31 years of age in the Summer of 2009, should have been looking forward to years more at the forefront of English cricket. Unfortunately, the infamous pedalo incident in 2007 and a public spat with Michael Vaughan had raised questions about Freddie’s future.
Moreover, an ankle injury that had troubled him throughout his career had reoccurred during 2007, too.
Despite being made, at the time, the IPL’s highest-paid player after being bought by the Chennai Super Kings, there were questions about Freddie’s form and fitness as the 2009 Ashes approached.
Those questions would be answered with typical Flintoff aplomb.
Freddie had last taken a Test five-for during England’s famous regaining of the Ashes in 2005. He would do so again during the Second Test against Australia in 2009 at Lord’s, taking five wickets in the second innings and being proclaimed player-of-the-match.
By the time the Ashes 2009 came to the Oval for the final Test, Flintoff had already declared his intention to retire. This picture of Flintoff getting a big hug from fellow Lancashire player Jimmy Anderson was taken after Freddie famously ran-out Ricky Ponting, helping England win the match and secure a 2-1 series win over the Australians.
The photo was taken on August 23, 2009.
Ben Foakes, England’s Wicket-Keeper
We’re biased, obviously, but we think Ben Foakes is the best wicket-keeper in the country… and maybe even the world!
Foakes joined Surrey from Essex at the end of the 2014 season. Having represented the England Lions whilst at Chelmsford, Foakes continued to be a regular with England’s second side and was part of the Ashes squad for the 2017/18 series, thanks largely to his impressive form at the Kia Oval.
During his first-class career, Foakes has gained equal respect for his glove work and his skills with the bat.
Following Surrey’s 2018 County Championship triumph, Foakes was a late call-up to the England squad for the tour of Sri Lanka. He grasped his opportunity incredibly with a century on debut. He followed this up with ODI & IT20 debuts against Ireland and Pakistan respectively in May 2019.
He enjoyed a return to the international fold in the 2021 tour to India, and 2022 saw Ben Foakes recalled into the England Test team. His performances with the gloves and bat led to an ECB Central Contract in October 2022. Ben Foakes scored 586 runs at an average of 73.25 as Surrey stormed to the County Championship title in 2022.
This photo is of Surrey and England Wicket-Keeper Ben Foakes as he takes to the field during Day Three of the Third LV= Insurance Test Match between England and South Africa at The Kia Oval on September 10, 2022.
Hashim Amla’s Incredible Triple-Century
This photo shows Hashim Amla of South Africa celebrating reaching 300 runs not out during day 4 of the Test Match between England and South Africa at The Kia Oval on July 22, 2012.
This incredible effort meant he became South Africa’s first triple-centurion, during another stunning day with the bat for the South African legend.
Amla retired from international cricket as the second-highest Test run scorer in South African history with 9,282 runs in 124 matches. In 2019, Amla signed for Surrey for his third stint with the Club after 14 appearances across 2013 and 2014.
As well as his vast Test experience, Amla also played in three 50-over World Cup and three T20 World Cups during his international career with 9271 international white-ball runs to his name.
In 2022, he was a vital part of the Surrey batting order and would help the team to win their 21st County Championship title.
Jofra Archer’s 6 Wickets in 2019
The 2019 Ashes was the first series to be drawn since 1972.
Ultimately, Australia left England with the Ashes in their possession, but this was no Aussie walkover and one of the standout performances of the series came from Jofra Archer in the Fifth Test at The Kia Oval.
Jofra was rightfully named player-of-the-match, primarily for his standout 6/62 performance with the ball in Australia’s first innings.
Archer is a Barbadian-born English cricketer and at a domestic level he represents Sussex.
In April 2019, Archer was selected to play for the England team in limited overs fixtures against Ireland and Pakistan. He made his international debut for England in May 2019 and was part of the England squad that won the 2019 Cricket World Cup. He then made his Test debut later that summer, against Australia in the 2019 Ashes series. In April 2020, Archer was named as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year.
He is a close friend of Surrey T20 Captain Chris Jordan.
In this photo, Jofra appeals during day four of the 5th Specsavers Ashes Test between England and Australia at The Kia Oval on September 15, 2019.
Moeen Ali’s 2017 Hat-Trick
This scene of sheer jubilation shows Moeen Ali celebrating becoming the first ever bowler to take a hat-trick of wickets (three wickets in three consecutive balls) in Test Cricket at The Oval, and in the process sealed an emphatic England win over South Africa in July 2017.
The delight shown by Ali’s England teammate’s is no surprise, as he is one of England’s most popular players, with both fans and players alike.
At 35, Ali is still playing at the highest level and is England’s Vice Captain in limited-overs cricket, having stepped down from Test duties.
In domestic cricket, he represents Warwickshire, having also played at Worcestershire. He has played in multiple T20 leagues across the world, including playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings in the IPL.
Ali is a British Muslim and has spoken passionately about the importance of his faith and the need for acceptance of all religions and backgrounds in sport!
Surrey and England Star Ollie Pope
What a photo!
This incredible snap shows Surrey and England star Ollie Pope taken a moment of quiet reflection in front of The Micky Stewart Members Pavilion during day three of the Fourth LV= Insurance Test Match between England and India at The Kia Oval on September 04, 2021.
Ollie is a graduate of the Surrey Academy and has risen through the ranks to become a central figure in the England team’s ambitions in the coming years.
Ollie Pope burst onto the scene in 2016, when he was called up to make his debut in the Royal London One Day Cup Semi-Final as an 18-year-old. It was in 2018 that he made such a huge impact on the Specsavers County Championship team that would win the title that year. After early season centuries against Hampshire & Yorkshire, Ollie was called up to make his Test debut against India at Lord’s.
A shoulder injury at the start of the 2019 summer threatened to spoil Pope’s season but after a fast recovery, Ollie made up for lost time scoring 561 runs at an average of 80.14 including a career-best 221 not out earning him a Test call up for the tours of New Zealand and South Africa. That South Africa tour brought him his first Test century before more appearances against West Indies & Pakistan followed in the summer of 2020.
At the beginning of the 2022 summer, Ollie Pope was promoted to number three in the England Test team and still found time to put in game-winning performances for Surrey in their successful County Championship season.
Surrey through-and-through, Ollie travelled up to Lancashire for the last game of the 2022 season and, despite not playing, carried out ‘twelth’ duties – running water out to the first XI!
Sam Curran, Ashes 2019
This picture shows Sam Curran of England celebrating dismissing Pat Cummins of Australia during day two of the fifth Specsavers Ashes Test between England and Australia at The Kia Oval on September 13, 2019.
Whilst that series was ultimately drawn, meaning the Ashes went home with Australia, Curran showed his international class despite being just 20-years-old at the time.
Sam Curran is one of the biggest talents in world cricket and is respected across the globe. He is a stylish all-rounder and a real hit with fans of all ages.
Having made his first-class debut in July 2015, at the age of 17, Sam was regarded as one of the finest prospects in the game and made his Test debut in 2018. Enjoying his first full summer with Surrey in 2017 having completed his A Levels, Sam has been a consistent presence in both County Championship and Royal London One Day Cup matches.
Often opening the bowling, left armer Sam is capable of swinging the ball both ways and can also prove destructive in his lower order batting position. He demonstrated those skills at the highest level in 2018 as he was named Player of the Series during England’s 4-1 Test win over Virat Kohli’s India. He is now a regular with England across all three formats as well as famous in India for his exploits in the IPL.
A maiden First Class century was a long time coming for Sam but he eventually broke the duct with a fine century against Kent in June 2022 with a massive six into the Micky Stewart Members Pavilion to send The Kia Oval into rapturous applause.
Since returning from a back injury, Curran has taken his T20 game to a world class level with bat, ball and in the field to become an integral part of England’s T20 side, being named Player of the Tournament as England won the 2022 T20 World Cup.
All this, and he’s still just 24!
Two Icons: Shane Warne and Kevin Pietersen
In this picture, Kevin Pietersen of England (right) is congratulated by his then Hampshire teammate Shane Warne of Australia after scoring 158 runs on day five of the fifth Test match between England and Australia at The Oval on 12 September 2005. The match ended in a draw and England won the Test series 2-1 to regain the Ashes for the first time since 1986-87.
Pietersen and Warne are two true greats of the game, and Warne transcended the sport and became a national treasure in the UK despite his history as a proud Aussie.
Shane Warne is regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the sport; he made 145 Test appearances, taking 708 wickets, and set the record for the most wickets taken by any bowler in Test cricket, a record he held until 2007.
Warne was a useful lower-order batter who scored more than 3,000 Test runs, with a highest score of 99. He retired from international cricket at the end of Australia’s 2006–07 Ashes series victory over England.
Warne was a revolutionary bowler and larger-than-life personality, whose career as a broadcaster blossomed post-retirement. Warne would tragically pass away in 2022 and the entire cricketing world went into mourning. His legacy is as not just one of the best players to grace a cricket field, but one of the most beloved. He will be sorely missed.
Kevin ‘KP’ Pietersen is a right-handed batter and occasional off spin bowler who played in all three formats for England between 2005 and 2014, which included a brief tenure as captain.
Pietersen is one of the fastest batters to reach 1,000 ODI runs and still holds the record for being the fastest male player to cross 2,000 runs in One Day International cricket. He has the second-highest run total from his first 25 Tests, behind only Sir Don Bradman of Australia, and was the fastest men’s player, in terms of days, to reach 4,000, 5,000 and 7,000 Test runs.
He has been christened by sections of the press one of England’s greatest batters, and on the occasion of England’s 1000th Test in August 2018, he was named in the country’s greatest Test XI by the ECB. He won the Player of the Series award for his heroics in 2010 ICC World Twenty20 and for helping the England Cricket Team win their maiden ICC trophy.
Domestically, he would leave Hampshire in 2010, joining Surrey for a stint that lasted between 2010 and 2017.
“The Most Thrilling Series Ever”
This photo represents England lifting the Ashes after day five of the fifth npower Ashes Test match between England and Australia at the Oval on September 12, 2005.
The Ashes win in 2005 is one of the most iconic moments in not just English cricket, but in English sport. It was England’s first Ashes success since 1987!
After the conclusion of the series, and the end of a near twenty-year period of dominance for Australia, the BBC called the series the “most thrilling ever”.
Australia won the first Test comfortably, but in the second Test, considered to be one of the greatest of all time, England levelled the series with a two-run victory, the narrowest win in Ashes history. The third Test ended in a draw, and England won the fourth Test in Nottingham by three wickets after England enforced the follow-on.
The fifth and final Test started on 8 September, at the Oval in London. It entered its final day with England batting in their second innings, 40 runs ahead with nine wickets in hand. Australia needed a win to force a 2–2 series draw and retain the Ashes; any other result would give the Ashes to England and end 16 years and eight series of Australian dominance.
After a back-and-forth day, England established a lead of 341 after Kevin Pietersen’s century, and Australia batted for one over before the teams went off for bad light, the stumps were pulled out of the ground, and the match was declared a draw, ensuring the return of the Ashes to England.
In the wake of the conclusion to the series, which went down to the very final day, thousands of people lined the streets of London as the England team were treated to a celebratory parade that ran from Mansion House to Trafalgar Square. They were even made guests of honour at 10 Downing Street and met with then-Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Waqar Younis, Pakistan v International XI 2006
Waqar Younis is a Pakistani cricket coach, who as a player captained the Pakistan national team.
Younis was a right-arm fast bowler who many consider to be one of the greatest bowlers to have ever played the game.
He took 373 Test wickets and 416 One Day International wickets during his career, and together with his bowling partner Wasim Akram, he formed one of the most feared bowling attacks in world cricket.
At domestic level, Younis represented Surrey between 1990 and 1993. He took 113 wickets in 582 overs for Surrey in 1991 at 14.65 – topping the season’s first-class bowling averages. In 2019, Surrey fans voted him as part of Surrey’s Greatest XI – voted on to celebrate the 175th anniversary of Surrey CCC.
This photo shows Younis in 2006, post-retirement, as he bowled for a Pakistan XI who were facing an International XI in a charity match at The Oval to raise money for the Pakistan Earthquake Relief Fund.
The fixture raised £250,000 for survivors of the October 2005 disaster, amid appearances by legends of the game including Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and MS Dhoni.
Alec’s Oval Swansong
Alec Stewart is a Surrey and England legend, born into a family who you could easily call Surrey royalty.
His dad, Micky Stewart OBE, turned 90 in 2022 and in honour the Club renamed The Kia Oval as ‘The Micky Stewart Oval’ – such is the contribution he and his family have made to the Club.
No slouch in the naming stakes himself, Alec Stewart has the honour of having the ‘Alec Stewart Gate’ named after him, and visitors attending the ground via the Vauxhall End will no doubt have paid homage to the great man as they made their way through security and into the stands.
Alec is a former captain of the England cricket team, who played Test cricket and One Day Internationals as a right-handed wicket-keeper-batter. He is the fourth-most-capped English cricketer ever in Test matches and third-most-capped in One Day Internationals (ODIs), having played in 133 Tests and 170 ODIs.
He is regarded as one of England’s greatest openers, and legendary Pakistani fast bowler Wasim Akram considers him one of the most difficult batters he ever bowled to.
Alec represented Surrey as a player between 1981 and 2003 and remains at the Club to this day as Director of Cricket. Under his directorship, which began in 2014, the Men’s team have won County Championship’s in 2018 and 2022.
He was named as Surrey’s Wicket-Keeper in Surrey’s Greatest XI – voted on by fans in 2019 to celebrate Surrey CCC’s 175-year anniversary.
His final game for England was in a Test match against South Africa, and fittingly his swansong would come at The Oval – signing off with an England win. This picture shows him celebrating that very victory on September 8, 2003.
Claire Taylor and Beth Morgan are victorious, 2009
This picture shows Claire Taylor of England celebrating victory with Beth Morgan as Sarah Andrews of Australia looks on during the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 Semi Final between England and Australia at The Oval on June 19, 2009.
Claire Taylor put in a superb performance during this game with a brilliant 76 not out from 53 balls, as England chased down a target of 164 to beat Australia at the semi-final stage of the Women’s World Twenty20 at The Oval.
Taylor, who was the Player of the Tournament when England won the 50-over World Cup earlier in the year, hit eight fours in a superb 122-run third-wicket stand with Beth Morgan, as England booked their place in a final two days later at Lord’s.
England would go on to beat New Zealand in the World Twenty20 final on Sunday 21st June, 2009 – completing a heroic double against New Zealand, having beat them in the 50-over World Cup earlier that same year.
