12.04pm BST

The County season drizzled into life in south London with a half hour delay at the Oval waiting for the outfield to dry on a gloomy morning under cross-looking skies. The good news it's meant to clear up. The good news for Glamorgan is Mark Wallace won the toss and has chosen to field first. Graeme Smith could be seen striding massively around the outfield in pristine whites before play and he is out there opening the batting along with Rory Burns on a pitch that has less a tinge, more a flush of green about it. It's not a morning to bat. It's not a morning for cricket. It's not really a morning for getting out of bed.



Burns faced the first ball of the season here, nibbling Michael Hogan away for a single down to fine leg. Smith then played an hugely resolute-looking forward defensive to his first ball. The pitch is cut right over on the eastern edge of the square, bringing the boundary on that side alarmingly close and Surrey's captain has already produced his favoured legside shovel to good effect when the ball is anywhere near his stumps. Beyond that simply sticking around will be the order of the morning.



Generally it's an under-peopled Oval for the first Sunday start, with a smattering in the pavilion and just the odd isolated diehard in an anorak around those huge banks of seats, increased in size this season, and built with something else entirely in mind. One question about these Sunday starts occurred coming in to Kennington. Where does this leave God exactly? It's not so long ago there would have been open resistance to this kind of thing from those whose business it is to resist. Now, not even a whimper. Speaking of the divine made flesh, Kevin Pietersen of Delhi Daredevils, St Lucia Zouks and Surrey was out on the outfield playing with his son Dylan before play. No chance KP could have played here. He'll be off to the IPL before this game finishes. Let's hope the dressing room can hold it together until then.