Petersen's fourth straight ton sinks Knights

A round-up of the Momentum One Day Cup matches on October 23, 2015

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Oct-2015Alviro Petersen’s fourth hundred in as many innings set up Lions‘ 184-run win over Knights in Potchefstroom.The margin of victory meant Lions pocketed the bonus point to lift themselves into the third spot at the halfway mark in the competition.Petersen, who made a 128-ball 134, found support from Neil McKenzie (56), Dwaine Pretorious (50 off 22 balls) and Stephen Cook (42) as Lions posted an imposing 317 for 6 in 50 overs after being sent in to bat. The Knights’ chase fizzled out early as they lost their top five inside 100 runs, with the side eventually bowled out for 133 in 34.5 overs.Eddie Leie, the legspinner who was recently part of the T20I series in India, returned figures of 5 for 30, while Pretorious also contributed with the ball with three scalps.Warriors beat Cobras by five wickets in Cape Town to cement their second spot in the points standings. Sisanda Magala, the pacer, picked five wickets to restrict Cobras to 250 for 9. That they got there was courtesy a 98-ball 77 from captain Justin Ontong.Warriors were driven by Colin Ingram, who top-scored with 77 to help the team march ahead of the asking rate. Although they lost two quick wickets to leave the team at 174 for 5, the momentum provided by Ingram helped them prevail. Christiaan Jonker (44 not out) and Colin Ackermann (35 not out) shared an unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 79 to see the Warriors home with seven balls to spare.

Dinesh Karthik 167 deflates Mumbai

Dinesh Karthik struck 167 to propel Tamil Nadu into a dominant position against Mumbai in the third round of the Ranji Trophy

Amol Karhadkar16-Oct-2015
ScorecardDinesh Karthik made his 24th first-class century•PTI

In an endeavour to improve his technique and earn an India call back, Dinesh Karthik spent weeks in Mumbai last year, working at the MCA’s Bandra-Kurla Complex facility with personal coach Praveen Amre. At the same ground, Karthik turned out to be the difference between Mumbai and Tamil Nadu in a Ranji Trophy league game.When Karthik is on song, the best of bowling attacks can appear hapless. It was the turn of Mumbai to bear the brunt as his 167 meant Tamil Nadu recovered from 201 for 6 to pile up 434 in their first innings and give the visitors a good chance of snatching the lead. Tamil Nadu’a pacers then built on the good work, seeing off two Mumbai batsmen, including the prized wicket of Shreyas Iyer, to further the cause.His unbeaten 76 on the opening day was about controlled aggression; a necessary tactic considering Tamil Nadu had been in danger of collapsing. The 91 runs he added today were split into two halves – being patient and then cutting loose.

We feel couple of wickets went against us – Mumbai coach Pandit

Acknowledging Dinesh Karthik’s effort and the resilience of the Tamil Nadu lower middle order, Mumbai coach Chandrakant Pandit has said it was unfortunate that his team found themselves on the wrong side of umpiring decisions. On the second day, three decision, including two in the morning session, went against Mumbai.
“Anybody who would have seen the first half on both the days must have seen the ball was doing a lot. Credit to their batsmen [for] the way they handled the first session,” Pandit said.
“Even this morning, the ball was moving but unfortunately a couple of wickets went against us. Yes, we feel that. I will go with the boys. But I don’t blame anyone for any of that. It is just part and parcel of the game and we have to accept it. I am not blaming the decisions for a total in excess of 400 being scored.”
Dhawal Kulkarni’s appeal for a caught behind against Malolan Rangarajan was turned down early on the second day. It was followed by an lbw shout against Dinesh Karthik that got the shake of the head. Late in the day, Mumbai opener Akhil Herwadkar was adjudged caught behind when the batsman felt he had not edged the ball.

Mumbai had a very hard day. The BKC track not offering much assistance and the soaring heat did no favous either. They didn’t have much going by way of luck either. Karthik, having seen off the first hour of the morning session, survived a close leg-before shout off Shardul Thakur in the nineties. Earlier in the day, a huge appeal for caught behind off Dhawal Kulkarni against Malolan Rangarajan had been turned down as well. The two batsmen put on 182 runs for the seventh wicket.Karthik got his 11th four, which also brought up his 24th first-class ton, there were no more half-chances. By then, the fast bowlers had begun losing their zip and when spin was called in, Karthik simply swept them aside. Literally. Whenever left-arm spinner Vishal Dabholkar or legspinner Abhishek Raut or part-timer Siddhesh Lad pitched it slightly fuller, Karthik bent down in no time and the connection was sweet. When the pace duo of Thakur and Kulkarni pitched it short, the pull shot yielded optimum results.The mammoth stand came to an end soon after lunch when Aditya Tare took a sharp, one-handed catch behind the wicket off Thakur to end Rangarajan’s vigil for 61 off 150 balls. Three overs later, Karthik was undone by a sweep to give Dabholkar a deserving five-for. Aswin Crist and M Mohammed frustrated Mumbai bowlers for an hour, but Kulkarni took two in two in the 145th over to wrap up the innings. And from then on and until the end of the day’s play, bowlers dictated the proceedings.Tamil Nadu’s pacers bowled a nagging line. Even though Crist started off by bowling two full-tosses in the opening over, the second of which was creamed for a four by Shrideep Mangela, Mohammed bowled five maidens on the trot from the other end. Reward for that discipline came in Mohammed’s second spell when he had Akhil Herwadkar caught behind, although replays were inconclusive. There didn’t appear to be any sound of bat hitting ball as it passed.Iyer counterattacked with a sparkling cover drive, a trademark flick through midwicket and an aerial flick that sailed over long leg but with just over ten minutes remaining for the scheduled close, his uppish drive was brilliantly caught by medium-pacer J Kousik to make it a perfect day for Tamil Nadu.

Dabholkar, Jaiswal reported for suspect action

Mumbai spinners Vishal Dabholkar and Ankush Jaiswal have been left out of the team’s last league fixture because of a suspect action, and will undergo remodelling at the ICC-accredited testing centre in Chennai

Arun Venugopal30-Nov-2015Three Mumbai spinners – left-armer Vishal Dabholkar, offspinner Ankush Jaiswal and part-time offspinner Akhil Herwadkar – have been reported for suspect actions. As a result, Dabholkar and Jaiswal have been omitted from Mumbai’s squad for their last group match of the 2015-16 Ranji Trophy season against Gujarat, beginning on December 1, at the Wankhede Stadium.”They have been reported by the BCCI and they will now go for rehabilitation with Mumbai bowling coach Omkar Salvi,” MCA joint secretary Unmesh Khanvilkar told ESPNcricinfo. “They have already undergone testing at the Sri Ramachandra Arthroscopy and Sports Sciences Centre in Chennai.”Khanvilkar said the trio were working on their action, and would wait for an appointment from the testing centre in Chennai to get tested. He also confirmed Dabholkar and Jaiswal were set to miss at least the first half of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, the domestic 50-over competition, which begins on December 10.Dabhokar has been Mumbai’s leading wicket-taker, with 27 scalps from six games at an average of 29.11, while Jaiswal, 23, had made his debut against Madhya Pradesh and picked up five wickets in the match, including four in the first innings.Khanvilkar said Abhishek Nayar and Dhawal Kulkarni were rested for the Gujarat fixture, and the uncapped duo of left-arm spinner Dhrumil Matkar and wicketkeeper batsman Sufiyan Shaikh were included in the squad. “Dhrumil Matkar has been doing very well at the under-23 level, and so the selectors have picked him at this level.” Shaikh, meanwhile, has played two List A games and four T20s for Mumbai.

Lynn 75 off 32 powers Heat to their first win

Brisbane Heat were not completely reliant on Chris Lynn, but of course he was the star, marshalling a remarkable chase with 75 from 32 balls as the Sydney Thunder failed to defend 186 in driving – perhaps to the point of being hazardous – rain

The Report by Will Macpherson03-Jan-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsChris Lynn followed his last two scores of 101* and 75 with another 75•Getty Images

Finally, four games too late, Brisbane Heat are underway, and their Big Bash League campaign is still alive. This time, they were not completely reliant on Chris Lynn, but of course he was the star, marshalling a remarkable chase with 75 from 32 balls as the Sydney Thunder failed to defend 186 in driving – perhaps to the point of being hazardous – rain.Throughout the Heat’s enthralling innings, the eyes of the batsmen flicked from the DLS calculations sheet, to the umpires, then finally to their own footing, with both Lynn and Nathan Reardon slipping at the crease. Life was tougher for the Thunder bowlers, whose interest lay with the front line (no amount of sawdust could ever be adequate in these conditions) and the ball, which was changed three times and was impossible to keep dry, like their own hands. The umpires, admirably putting the 27,507 spectators first, resisted the temptation to take the players off the field. They were rewarded with another blockbuster finish.Lynn, for once, came to the crease after a platform had been laid by Lendl Simmons and Jimmy Peirson. Michael Hussey – even shorn of the bowling of Jacques Kallis, who had earlier injured his back running between the wickets – had been confident enough to post a short leg, but the field had soon enough spread as Peirson timed pulls crisply, while Simmons sent Clint McKay handsomely over long-off for six. After the first five overs, the Heat were 0 for 45.The introduction of Fawad Ahmed’s spin put the brakes on slightly – impressive, given the troubles gripping the ball – and Simmons fell to Shane Watson’s first ball, opening the face and ramping straight to third man. Two overs later, Peirson was stumped off offspinner Chris Green, trying to accelerate, for a 36-ball 40.Never mind, leave that to Lynn. Fawad was drilled for six over long-on, before Watson’s return – when the Heat needed almost 13 an over – was brutally targeted. A full toss was sent to the midwicket fence and was followed by a cover-driven four and a brutally-pulled six.After Andre Russell had Reardon caught at short fine leg, the game was won with an outrageous assault from Lynn on Gurinder Sandhu’s return. The seamer was sent into the stands at midwicket, then long-on, before a top-edge earned four, and a six – the biggest of the lot – went into the top tier behind square. The over’s penultimate ball was skied but slipped through Kurtis Patterson’s hands at deep midwicket. The damage had been done, but Lynn still found time to flay Sandhu’s next over for 18 more.Australia name their limited-overs squads to face India (not to mention the World T20) in the coming days; Lynn and Sandhu, whose one wicket has cost 162 runs this tournament, are both hot property, but this face-off illustrated how wildly their fortunes have diverged this season. Lynn, surely, with his third straight score of 75 or more, is impossible for the selectors to ignore; he is concurrently top-order bat and finisher, and has hit more runs and more sixes than anyone else this tournament. Here, he fell in the penultimate over to a marvellous catch at long-on from Green, but Ben Cutting, who had been a canny ally at the death, saw them home comfortably.Earlier, the Thunder had recovered from a slow start thanks to fine innings from Watson and Hussey, as well as a cameo from Russell, to post a challenging total. Samuel Badree had Aiden Blizzard in all sorts of trouble and, in a sign that perhaps the Heat’s fortunes were changing, Josh Lalor finally got a wicket – Kallis no less – in his 13th over of the competition.Watson and Hussey came together to share an enterprising stand of 97 runs. Some lax running from the veterans did not matter; Watson hit five different bowlers for massive leg-side sixes, while Hussey took longer to get going, but eventually flicked James Hopes over square leg for a six of his own. Watson slapped Hopes to the sweeper cover, then Hussey fell with two overs remaining, allowing Russell to mass 20 off nine, including a huge top-edged six off Mark Steketee. He was run-out in the end, probably realising Thunder needed a few more. And so, thanks to Lynn, it proved.

West Indies climb to No. 1 in T20 rankings

West Indies have claimed the No. 1 spot in the ICC T20 rankings after Sri Lanka were caned by New Zealand in Auckland on Sunday

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jan-2016

The top ten teams in T20Is

1. West Indies (118 rating points)
2 Sri Lanka (118 rating points)
3. Australia (118 rating points)
4 England (117 rating points)
5 South Africa (115 rating points)
6 New Zealand (114 rating points)
7 Pakistan (114 rating points)
8 India (110 rating points)
9 Afghanistan (80 rating points)
10 Bangladesh (69 rating points)

West Indies have claimed the No. 1 spot in the ICC T20 rankings after Sri Lanka, who had largely occupied the top rung since they won the World T20 in 2014, were caned by New Zealand in Auckland on Sunday. West Indies have 118.36 rating points, and are now marginally ahead of both Sri Lanka and Australia who have exactly 118 rating points each.West Indies have played eight matches since the end of the World T20 in April 2014 and won four of them, including a world record chase against South Africa in January 2015. They gunned down 232 in 19.2 overs. Coincident to that has been Sri Lanka’s fall – they have lost five of their last six matches, the latest a nine-wicket drubbing as New Zealand raced to their target of 143 in a mere 10 overs.Sri Lanka had begun the two-match series with a seven-point lead. Losing it 0-2 meant they were yet to win a T20 series since becoming World T20 champions (although they beat England in a one-off match in May 2014) and were pushed off their No. 1 slot.West Indies fare far worse in the other formats. They are at No. 8 in Tests, after losing the Frank Worrell Trophy 2-0, and No. 9 in ODIs.

Knight and Elwiss earn England series and vital points

Heather Knight and Georgia Elwiss produced a pair of composed innings to guide England to a series-clinching five-wicket victory at the Wanderers after their chase had been in considerable early trouble

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Feb-2016
ScorecardGeorgia Elwiss and Heather Knight scored vital fifties•Gallo Images

Heather Knight and Georgia Elwiss produced a pair of composed innings to guide England to a series-clinching five-wicket victory at the Wanderers – as well as important points in the Women’s Championship – after their chase had been in considerable early trouble.South Africa battled impressively to post 196 for 9 after being 85 for 6 – Lizelle Lee making 74 off 77 deliveries – and in response England slipped to 38 for 3 in the 10th over when Chloe Tryon removed Sarah Taylor.Fresh from the memories of chasing down 263 in the second match – their first victory over England since 2004 – South Africa sensed a chance, but were thwarted by the middle order. Firstly, Charlotte Edwards helped steady the chase as she and Knight added 53 before Edwards fell to Ayabonga Khaka.Then Knight, who earlier claimed 2 for 36 in nine overs, and Elwiss took charge, forming a stand of 97 in 20 overs. Elwiss played the more aggressive role with 61 off 67 deliveries – her maiden international fifty – which included an early six off Dane van Niekerk to help relieve some pressure.Elwiss’ fifty came off 53 balls while Knight’s arrived from 84; Elwiss could not quite see England over the line but Knight remained unbeaten.England had set a good early tone after winning the toss when Anya Shrubsole struck fourth ball, but a second-wicket stand of 57 between Trisha Chetty and captain Mignon du Preez laid a solid foundation. However, they were stunted by two quick wickets – Elwiss making her first impression of the day when she bowled du Preez and then Danielle Hazell removing Marizanne Kapp for a duck – and the collapse reached 5 for 28 when Shrubsole returned to strike two further blows.The innings was revived by a seventh-wicket stand of 80 between Lee and Sune Luus. Lee’s fifty came off 79 balls and although she was eighth out, the last-wicket pair ensured South Africa batted out their 50 overs.At 30 without loss inside five overs, England were off to a brisk start in the chase but the openers – Lauren Winfield and Amy Jones – fell in the space of three deliveries and when Taylor fell for 2 the pressure was on, but England found a response. Victory drew them level with South Africa in fourth, with 13 points, in the Women’s Championship.Edwards said: “We are obviously disappointed not to have secured the full six points available for this series, but to come away with four points against a strong South African side away from home is still a pleasing result for us.”The last three matches have ebbed and flowed for us performance-wise. We have shown glimpses of what we are capable of with both bat and ball, but to be competitive with the best teams in the world we still need to be more consistent.”We are starting to show signs of the positive, proactive and fearless cricket that we want to play, and I hope we can take this into the T20I series starting in Paarl on Thursday, and then the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 in India next month.”

Tamim to miss Asia Cup, Kayes called up as replacement

Bangladesh have drafted Imrul Kayes into the squad for the Asia Cup in place of Tamim Iqbal, who has opted out due to the imminent birth of his first child

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Feb-2016Bangladesh have drafted opening batsman Imrul Kayes into the squad for the Asia Cup in place of Tamim Iqbal, who has opted out due to the imminent birth of his first child. This is the only change from Bangladesh’s World T20 squad that was announced earlier this month.Imrul’s last international appearance for Bangladesh came at home against Zimbabwe last month in a four-match T20I series. He scored 1 and 18 in the third and fourth matches, which Zimbabwe won to level the series 2-2. He had made his comeback to the T20I squad against Zimbabwe in November after a gap of nearly four years. He had a successful run for Comilla Victorians in the Bangladesh Premier League 2015-16, finishing as the second-highest run-getter in the tournament with 312 runs in 12 matches at a strike rate of 114.70.The Asia Cup 2016 starts from February 19, with a qualifying round between Afghanistan, UAE, Hong Kong and Oman. The winner of the qualifying round will join the four Full Member teams in the region for the main draw which starts from February 24. Bangladesh play their first match of the tournament on February 24 against India.Bangladesh Asia Cup squad: Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), Shakib Al Hasan, Imrul Kayes, Mohammad Mithun, Mahmudullah, Mushfiqur Rahim, Soumya Sarkar, Sabbir Rahman, Nasir Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Al-Amin Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Arafat Sunny, Abu Hider, Nurul Hasan

'Short of brains' description angers Sammy

Darren Sammy, the West Indies captain, described Mark Nicholas’ pre-tournament characterisation of his team as “short of brains” as an emotional flash point for his side during the World T20

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Kolkata02-Apr-2016Darren Sammy, the West Indies captain, described commentator Mark Nicholas’ pre-tournament characterisation of his team as “short of brains” as an emotional flashpoint for his side during the World T20. Nicholas had made the comment in a column for ESPNcricinfo on March 3, writing: “West Indies are short of brains but have IPL history in their ranks.”On the eve of the final against England, Sammy said that comment and many other depictions of his team as mercenary cricketers have rankled, especially because West Indies have been a leading T20 international side for several years. They won the 2012 World T20, and progressed to the semi-final of the 2014 tournament in Bangladesh, where they lost to eventual champions Sri Lanka.”How could you describe people with no brains? Even animals have brains,” Sammy said in Kolkata. “We’re not an object, and for me, that comment really set us off. You have seen me talking about it. It’s really emotional, for somebody who I respect and have a good rapport with generally, to describe our team – who two years ago were world champions – as guys with no brains. That’s really out of order.”This passion, these emotions, this anger – what these people have been saying – this has always been there from the inception of the tournament. God don’t love the ugly, and we are very wonderful and beautifully made. That’s why we play exciting cricket. So for us, all these things that happened before the tournament – that is the passion, the determination that we take on the field. Its just one more step to lifting that cup and we believe we can do it.”Notwithstanding the loss to Afghanistan after semi-final qualification had already been assured, West Indies have had an impressive run in this World T20. They comfortably defeated England, Sri Lanka and South Africa, and ran down India’s 192 for 2 with two balls to spare, in the semi final. Sammy suggested that closing ranks and engaging a sort of siege mentality aided his side’s performance.”It’s been a tough journey,” he said. “A lot happened before the tournament, and I believe that everything always happens for a reason. I think the pre-tournament shenanigans brought us really closer together as a team. I don’t know if you have heard the coach say it. The players have said it – it feels like it’s us against everybody else. It’s a format we’ve been consistent in, but every year nobody gives us a chance. All these things brought this team together. I think the fact that a few of us are getting old now, and we are aware that it could be the last for a few key players, has also brought us closer. We’ve formed our own little circle.”West Indies chase of India’s score was notable for the number of boundaries hit. Of their eventual 196, 146 came from 20 fours and 11 sixes. Through the course of the Super 10s, they have scored 61.08% of their runs in boundaries.”People say we don’t rotate our strike well – we will talk about that,” Sammy said. “But first thing is you have to stop us from hitting boundaries. That has been difficult for oppositions once we get in that swing.”I think since the inception of T20, you’ve seen West Indies is a boundary-hitting team so that’s no surprise for me. We know the power we have in the dressing room so it was exciting to watch. Lendl Simmons, Andre Russell and Johnson Charles displayed that type of batting – boundary hitting – against India.”Having already beaten England in their opening match, West Indies perhaps go into the final as the more fancied outfit. However, Sammy said England had improved with each outing since then, and suggested that his team might even be underdogs at Eden Gardens.”We’re always David [of David and Goliath]. David is a winner. Look, even now I still don’t think people give us a chance,” he said. “Goliath was big and strong but David defeated him with a sling and one shot. We always see ourselves as David. We will play like David, be smart about it, believe in ourselves and in each other.”

Visakhapatnam, Raipur, Kanpur shortlisted as alternative IPL venues

IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla has said Visakhapatnam, Raipur and Kanpur are being looked at as alternative home venues for Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiants

Arun Venugopal in Rajkot14-Apr-2016IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla has said that Visakhapatnam, Raipur and Kanpur are frontrunners to be alternative home venues for Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiants after a Bombay High Court ruling ordered matches after April 30 to be moved out of Maharashtra due to a state-wide drought. He also said Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata were in contention to host the three playoff games – the Eliminator, Qualifier 2 and final – that were scheduled to be played in Pune and Mumbai.Shukla confirmed he would meet with representatives from both franchises in Delhi on April 15 to formulate a revised arrangement, which will later be ratified by the IPL governing council. He said, however, that the Maharashtra Cricket Association and the IPL would request the Bombay High Court for permission to host the match between Supergiants and Mumbai in Pune on May 1 due to difficulties involved in shifting equipment.”Since there is a match on April 29 and May 1 in Pune – back-to-back matches – it will be almost impossible to move the equipment in 24 hours to another venue,” Shukla told reporters in Rajkot. “That’s a technical problem, so we are going to appeal tomorrow to the Bombay High Court if they can allow one more match in Pune. The other matches will be shifted. We decided yesterday that we are not going for an appeal. We will be implementing the verdict given by the court.”Kings XI Punjab were scheduled to play three home matches in Nagpur in May and Shukla said the franchise will shift those games to Mohali and Dharamsala.He also suggested that Jaipur was a prospective venue if either Mumbai or Supergiants expressed interest. “The RCA can’t host the match but the government has approached us to host the match,” Shukla said. “We will put Jaipur also as an option. Let’s see how the franchises react. We can host [matches without RCA being there]. There is a sports council of the government.”Shukla revealed Supergiants had requested the use of Eden Gardens as a home venue but said the IPL rules may not allow it.”Technically, it’s very difficult because it is the designated home ground of a franchise,” he said. “So far two matches of Gujarat Lions are slotted in Kanpur. If these franchises want Kanpur then those two matches will be played in Rajkot.”While Chennai and Ranchi were ruled out, Shukla said he was waiting to hear from the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association on Indore’s availability. “The MPCA secretary is checking with the authorities because the Kumbh Mela is going on and all the security forces have been deployed there.”Shukla said the biggest logistical challenge was movement of equipment: “It is a gigantic exercise. Then all those things – the look and feel of stadium, ticketing, maintenance of ground and wickets – will have to be looked into as well.”The court’s ruling came after a Public Interest Litigation questioned the hosting of matches in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur, and the order affects 13 games in the tournament. Mumbai was scheduled to host four matches after April 30, including the tournament final on May 29. Pune will miss out on six matches, including the Eliminator and Qualifier 2, while Nagpur will not host any fixtures this season.While hearing the PIL filed by Loksatta Movement, a Hyderabad-based NGO, last week, the court sought an explanation from the BCCI and the three state associations on why water should be “wasted” on hosting games when the state faced one of its worst ever droughts. In the next hearing, the court allowed the
opening match to be held as scheduled in Mumbai on April 9, but earlier this week asked the BCCI if matches could be shifted out of Pune.In its defence, the BCCI had stated that less water was used to prepare the ground for an IPL game when compared to an international fixture. The board also stated that it intended to use treated sewage water for ground preparation in Mumbai and Pune. Mumbai and Supergiants had also proposed to contribute INR 5 crore to the Maharashtra chief minister’s drought relief fund and supply 40 lakh litres of water to drought-hit areas at their own cost.

Surrey flop before big Oval crowd continues nightmarish season

Glamorgan ran through Surrey for 93 at the Kia Oval to set up an eight-wicket victory in the NatWest Blast

David Hopps26-May-2016
ScorecardTimm van der Gugten celebrates one of his four wickets on the night at the Oval•Getty Images

Surrey are the gold standard for English professional cricket as far as Twenty20 is concerned: crowds that fill the Kia Oval are the norm, they are the richest county in the country, the embodiment of off-field success. But the story on the field is not so pretty. They will point to two Finals Days in three years but as they crashed to defeat in their first NatWest Blast home match of the 2016 season, they were abysmal.Championship cricket has dominated the past six weeks and this match pitted Surrey, bottom of Division One, against Glamorgan, similarly bereft in Division Two – six matches each and not a victory between them. The Blast was an opportunity for release and it was Glamorgan, unfashionable Glamorgan, who gained it by dismissing Surrey for 93 before they waltzed to a predictable eight-wicket victory with 7.4 overs to spare.The Oval crowd took its punishment quietly. Perhaps we will know that T20 cricket in England matters when they boo on nights like this. Glamorgan, meanwhile, have travelled to south London in T20 four times and won every one, including a county record 240 for 3 a year ago.Gareth Batty, Surrey’s captain, told : “We have not covered ourselves in glory. In T20, a bad day can be really bad. So scratch it off and move forward. I don’t think it is a time for getting too carried away.”Fortune also turned against Surrey. Ben Foakes was injured in the pre-match warm-up – struck on the elbow by a stray ball from Stuart Meaker. Then Azhar Mahmood’s involvement ended prematurely when the Blast’s elder statesman, at 41, propped forward to his second delivery and damaged a calf badly enough to play no further part, unable even to bat with a runner which is still allowed in English domestic cricket. A long lay-off looks likely.Glamorgan achieved their win by just doing the basics. The surface was a little grabby, and their decision to throttle Surrey with old-fashioned virtues of back-of-a-length consistency worked a treat. Timm van der Gugten, a Netherlands pace bowler via a birthplace in Sydney, emerged with 4 for 14, his dismissal of Steven Davies and Kumar Sangakkara in the space of three balls setting the tone. He found it a bit of inswing, but when he said: “I thought we bowled well as a collective,” he summed it up.Stardom? Not on a night like this. Jason Roy was back at the Kia Oval in T20 colours for the first time since England reached the final of World Twenty20. No longer was he an exciting south London upstart beginning to forge an international career. Now he had recognised quality and debates were taking hold about whether he could even develop into a Test cricketer – and if so why on earth is he batting so low in the order for Surrey in Championship cricket?But Roy 2016 vintage looked unsettled. Shots were mistimed, the pitch not suiting him, and his early forays were unconvincing. He was only 15 when he tried to manufacture a big shot over the off side against Michael Hogan, skewed it off the bottom of the bat to extra cover and Colin Ingram, back in Glamorgan’s side after injury for the first time this season, held a difficult catch pedalling backwards.Consolidation is not in Roy’s nature. Neither is it the T20 way espoused by England which is further encouragement for him to keep playing his shots. But, in the World T20, England had Liam Plunkett or Adil Rashid at No. 11; Surrey, once Foakes had withdrawn, had Mahmood at seven. Perpetual attack needs sound surfaces or batting depth, or preferably both, and Roy did not have the advantage of neither. He will undoubtedly take out his frustration on somebody soon.Roy’s dismissal was all the more damaging because it was the third Surrey wicket to fall in eight balls. Van der Gugten, had taken two wickets in the previous over, having Davies caught off an attempted leg-side flip by a craftily-positioned deep square leg, and then defeating Kumar Sangakkara’s advance to drive courtesy of a fast catch above his head by wicketkeeper Chris Cooke.It was not the sort of night, as delightful as it was to see it, for Zafar Ansari to make a return from a second thumb injury that has disrupted his career: he made a second-ball nought, edging Craig Meschede’s overpitched ball to the wicketkeeper. Many in the 15,500 crowd were just coming in; Surrey statisticians must have been toying with walking out, 37 for 4 after the six-over Powerplay already leaving their victory chances strikingly low.And it got worse. Sam Curran showed pizazz for a while, but on 21 pulled Meschede to midwicket where David Lloyd took a skilful low catch and, although Curran delayed – politely enough – in the hope of a TV umpire adjudication which would have improved his chances of survival, the umpires chose to believe the evidence of their own eyes. Van der Gugten later found a little inswing to complete his foursome, bowling Gary Wilson as he shuffled across his stumps and having James Burke, Foakes’ replacement, lbw third ball.Glamorgan’s chase was a non-event. Surrey did not go for broke with attacking fields, and an opening stand of 58 settled the game as Jacques Rudolph stroked it around with quality and Lloyd struck powerfully over the leg side. Ingram announced his return from injury by battering Mathew Pillans’ first ball over long-on for six. It was very much Glamorgan’s night.

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