Skipper Mark Butcher has hailed Surrey new boy Usman Afzaal as one of the reasons behind his return to form, which sees him rated among the top five county batsmen in the country.

The 35-year-old already has 517 championship runs to his name - including 205 in last week's Liverpool Victoria Championship Division One clash against Yorkshire - at an average of 73.

Butcher, who struck a career one-day best 139 against Kent earlier this month, has led his side to a five-match unbeaten run in four-day games this season.

There has been much speculation over the prospect of run-machine Mark Ramprakash, 38, returning to the England fold after a six-year absence.

And Butcher admits the arrival of Afzaal - and the memory of a lean summer in 2007 - means he is still pushing himself despite entering the twilight of his career.

"I've had a new lease of life with the bat and part of that is down to the disappointment of not scoring runs last year and having Ramps take all the plaudits," he said.

"The other main reason has been Usman. He is a different sort of batsman to me and is somebody I've always admired particularly for his skill against slow bowlers.

"Sometimes you get used to hearing the same point of view over a long period of time, but he is a different player to me and it is exciting to me to hear something different.

"I'm someone who likes a challenge and to find some new pieces of information and get something from someone else is really good for me."

Croydon-born Butcher returns to his old stomping ground this week when Surrey entertain Somerset at Whitgift School in one Friends Provident Trophy clash and a four-day championship game.

And the Surrey captain, who watched wicketkeeper Jonathan Batty get among the runs again with a half-century last week, is delighted his team arrives closer to home in a rich vein of form.

"We have put good runs on the board, battled hard and bowled pretty well so far," he added.

"The weather has made it hard to force results but we haven't struggled to bowl teams out and runs are coming from various quarters.

"The Whitgift game is very much a home game for me given that I live five minutes from the ground. It is a beautiful setting. It is always nice to get out of the city and see some different fans."