In professional sport, players rarely stay at their side for ten years, yet at Surrey, Ryan Patel is doing exactly that. Despite the Rey missing out on the One-Day Cup quarter-finals with a last-day defeat to Nottinghamshire, the 28-year-old has been superb, finding his home at the top of the order.

Patel is a player that Surrey are lucky to have. At most other counties, he would be playing week in, week out, yet he seems happy to stay at the Oval, where he calls home. Patel, who has had a stellar year in the One-Day Cup this season with bat and ball, has scored 476 runs at an average of 59, while also taking six wickets with his medium pace. His county could not ask much more from a senior player in a youthful Surrey outfit that has seen 17 players go and play in the Hundred.

He brought up his fifth List A ton against Notts in a crunch game. A stylish knock off just 88 balls, which showed all of his strengths: a great back-foot game and the ability to score all around the ground.

Patel’s List A record with the bat speaks for itself, averaging 48 in 46 matches. But despite his strong record, the 28-year-old is still learning, and he thinks Surrey is the best place for that. With multiple current and former international quality batsman the left-hander is always picking the brains of his team mates.

“I try and ask all the boys questions as often as I can at training, looking at the drills they do. They are on the international circuit, so they are doing something right, and it would be stupid not to use that.”

Patel has become part of the furniture at Surrey, starting all the way down in the U8s with Ollie Pope. He describes the Oval as “home”, and it clearly is where he feels comfortable and able to perform.

“The boys you meet and play with, and the overseas [players] like Sanga (Kumar Sangakkara), Amla and there’s others. The facilities are exceptional. The grass is not always greener when you look elsewhere.”

He is also self-aware about how his game has evolved.

“I came into the professional game as a fourth seamer and as an all-rounder, and now in the One-Day Cup I am a top-three bat who bowls abit and I really enjoy that.”

It hasn’t been smooth sailing to this point for Patel who was moved all around the batting line up as a youngster and openly admits he was frustrated with lack of time in the middle.

“When I was younger and wasn’t playing as much, and even when I was I was batting here there and everywhere, I would be lying if I didn’t think about moving to find other opportunities.”

But the all-rounder, who grew up just a 30 second walk from Old Ruts in Merton, says that he “was never that close to leaving because I always knew this was the club I wanted to excel at and if I’m excelling here with all the players in the side then I’m doing a pretty good job.”

That comfort of finding his position in the top three has seen him thrive in the longer format of the white-ball game which he openly admits suits his game more than the t20 format although he is looking to work more on it.

Patel also decided to go out again to play in Perth after six consecutive winters in the UK, and it was a decision he felt had helped him.

“My last winter in the UK was a bit monotonous and tedious, and it probably isn’t that common for a 28-year-old to go down to Oz and play. But the change of scenery and sun really benefitted me, and to keep playing the sport I’m paid to do!”

Patel hasn’t played in any franchise cricket, “so being six months on and six months off” meant those winters would be “tedious”, meaning going to play for Wanneroo in the northern suburbs of Perth was the perfect tonic to “groove and improve his game”.

Surrey aren’t out of the battle for the County Championship, and Patel will be hoping that his recent purple patch of good form can earn him a place back in the Surrey side as they try to win back the Division One crown.