Tag: T20 Blast

Surrey Secure Home Quarter Final in T20 Blast

A look back at Essex v Surrey in the T20 Blast yesterday and a bumper photo gallery.

Yesterday afternoon there were various fixtures in the T20 Blast competition, and the one that I opted to follow was between Essex and Surrey. This post looks at that match and its wider context within the competition as a whole.

THE SITUATION GOING INTO THIS ROUND

The T20 Blast competition features two groups of nine teams, divided on geographical lines into a North group and a South group. The top four sides from each group progress to the quarter finals, with the top two in each group being rewarded for their extra success by getting to host their quarter final. The semi-finals and final are all played on one day to end the competition. Sussex were not in action this round, though their win in their previous match had put them second in the group. Gloucestershire were in action playing against Glamorgan, and that was the match most likely to impact on this one. Surrey knew that a win of any sort would guarantee them a home qualification, while Essex knew that at least a share of the points would ensure that they qualified. Surrey were not at full strength for various reasons but their line up still looked formidable. Essex did have a full strength side. In spite of the fact that there was other sporting action on the ground at Chelmsford was full.

THE SURREY INNINGS

Surrey batted first. Will Jacks played a superb innings, and was supported by various others along the way. Even so, with three balls to go Surrey had 178 on the board and Essex were reasonably hopeful. Cameron Steel ensured that those last three balls went for 11 runs and Surrey thus had 189 to defend. Jacks had scored 86 off 46 balls, and the best bowler for Essex was leg spinning all rounder Matthew Critchley, whose 4-0-22-2 was especially outstanding given the way the other Essex bowlers were treated. Critchley has been doing well in all formats lately, and if he continues to do so he may be a candidate for the next Ashes tour as English off spinners do not fare well down under, and there aren’t a lot of left arm spinning options.

THE ESSEX INNINGS

Dean Elgar, for many years a South Africa test cricketer, went cheaply, for just 9, but a successful chase looked possible while Adam Rossington and Michael Pepper, the latter fresh off a match winning 120* in Essex’s last outing were together. However, Pepper’s dismissal to the first ball of the tenth over, for 27, triggered something of a collapse, as 87-1 became 104-4 and then 124-5. At 148, with the required run rate getting out of hand, Essex’s last hope vanished when Rossington was caught by Jamie Overton off Sam Curran for 78 (46). That left Essex needing 42 off 15 balls with no front line batters left. They fought bravely, with news coming through that Gloucestershire had trounced Glamorgan, but the ask was just too much, and Surrey ran out winners by 13 runs, ensuring that they will play their quarter-final match at home. Gloucestershire’s big win moved them up to fifth and gives them a better net RR than Essex, which means that if they win their last group game and Essex lose theirs Essex will go out. Sussex and Somerset are fighting over which of them will end up in the top two and secure a home quarter final. In the other group the Birmingham Bears are qualified, but everyone else down to Derbyshire in seventh has some sort of chance of also doing so.

PHOTOGRAPHS

This gallery only contains about half of the new photos that I have ready to share, and there are more still on my camera…

A pill bug (so called because its defence mechanism is to roll itself up presenting that armoured exoskeleton to potential attackers.
A heron surveying the scene where the Nar flows into the Great Ouse.
While I was there it moved to the other side of the Great Ouse.

Blast Finals Day

A look at the second and third matches of Blast Finals Day, links to yesterday’s post and the post I put up OTD last year, and a photo gallery.

I covered the first match on T20 Blast Finals day, between Essex and Hampshire in yesterday’s post. Today I look briefly at the other two matches.

SOMERSET v SURREY

Things didn’t look especially great for Somerset when they they finished their 20 overs with a mere 142 on the board. However, Surrey, with all their strength in depth, soon found themselves in trouble, a position that they never managed to get out of. A number of batters made promising starts, but none were able to go on and make a major contribution, and nearly all the dismissals were self-inflicted – going for big shots and holing out to deep fielders. In the end Surrey were all out for a paltry 118, losing by 24 runs, giving Somerset a place in the final.

THE FINAL – ESSEX v SOMERSET

Somerset’s recent record in finals did not make pretty reading, and neither did their recent record in matches against Essex. Somerset found themselves batting first, and again they were not hugely impressive in that department, being all out to the last scheduled ball of their innings, with 145 on the board. However, they bowled very well, and although Essex had moments when things were going decently for them they never looked in command, and in the end they mustered 131, falling short by 14 runs. Most toss winning captains in T20 elect to chase, and Somerset twice found themselves setting the target, the less liked option in this format, and twice they produced a moderate batting performance and rescued themselves with the ball and in the field. While Surrey certainly donated plenty of wickets, bad batting played much less of a role in the Essex match. Ben Green of Somerset achieved a notable feat by taking his 30th wicket of the tournament, a rare landmark for single edition of this competition. Many would have expected Surrey and Hampshire to be the ones to make the final, and Surrey to run out winners, so credit to both finalists, and especial credit to Somerset for finally ending a bad run in finals by winning this one.

LINK AND PHOTOGRAPHS

A year ago today I published the second post in what went on to become the longest series on this blog, an all time XI with surnames beginning with B. Although I remain happy with the selection I add one caveat – if the pitch looks very spin friendly (think Ahmedabad!) I would bring Len Braund (leg spinning all rounder) in for Ian Botham, and replace leg spinner who could bat Benaud with Bishan Singh Bedi (left arm orthodox spinner) to balance the attack, with the new ball pair of Barnes and Bumrah now being backed by a spin trio of Bedi, Bates and Braund, the XI in this specific case reading: C Bannerman, SG Barnes, *DG Bradman, KF Barrington, AR Border, LC Braund, +Wasim Bari, *W Bates, SF Barnes, BS Bedi, JJ Bumrah.

Now for my usual sign off…

The weather yesterday was not the best for butterflies, but the red admirals have been out in force here in Norfolk.

Essex in the T20 Blast Final

A brief look at the first semi-final of the T20 Blast, a reminder of ;ast year’s big blogging project, which started OTD in 2022, and a photo gallery.

Today is T20 Blast Finals Day – two semi-finals and a final all in one day. There has been some rain about but the first match has just ended in a victory for Essex. The second semi-final features Somerset and bookies favourites Surrey.

THE HAMPSHIRE INNINGS

Hampshire did some good things, but were never in compete control. They eventually mustered 170-7 from their 20n overs, a respectable but not necessarily winning total.

THE ESSEX INNINGS

The rain came after 2.5 overs of the Essex innings, and took enough time out of proceedings that Essex’s target was reduced to 115 off 12 overs. Both sides had periods when they looked in control, but ultimately it was Essex who prevailed, a six off the third last possible delivery getting them over the line. This win for Essex preserves a remarkable record – in the 20 year history of this competition no side has ever successfully defended the trophy.

LINK AND PHOTOGRAPHS

One year ago today I launched the most ambitious blogging project I have undertaken to date, a project that ended up spanning 92 posts. It all started with this selected all time XI of players whose surname begins with the letter A, a selection that still holds one year on: All Time XIs: The Letter A.

Now for my usual sign off…