Stats: Aaron Finch and Jason Roy power Surrey to the fastest 200+chase in T20 history

Aaron Finch, the Australian batsman, and Jason Roy went berserk on Friday as they made the target of 222 set by Middlesex a cakewalk during the London derby at The Oval. The pair added 194 in just 13.5 overs for the first wicket as Surrey, the hosts, chased down the target of 222 with nine wickets and four overs to spare. Finch scored an unbeaten 117 off 52 balls with 11 fours and eight sixes. He brought up his second century of the tournament in 45 balls, his third T20 century in the last one month.

Roy, the English opener, scored a 37-ball 84 with seven fours and as many sixes. Earlier in the day, Paul Stirling struck a breezy 109 off 58 balls with nine fours and seven sixes after Middlesex elected to bat first. He added 111 from 64 balls with Stevie Eskinazi (31 off 27) for the 2nd wicket. Skipper Eoin Morgan got runout without facing a delivery while James Fuller and James Franklin added 52 off 23 balls, in the end, to take their total to 221/5.

Middlesex equalled their highest T20 score of 221/2 which they made in the 2015 T20 Blast against Sussex in Hove. The partnership of 194 between Finch and Roy is the highest for any wicket for Surrey in the T20 format surpassing the 187-run opening stand between the same pair in 2016 against Kent. The century made by Finch in the encounter is the seventh individual century in Surrey’s T20 history. Roy has scored four hundreds while remaining three have come from Finch’s bat.

Highest opening partnerships in Twenty20 cricket:

The pair’s 194-run stand is the 6th highest opening stand in the Twenty20 format. Their performances helped Surrey register the fastest 200+ chase in the history of the Twenty20 format. Surrey needed 16 overs to track down the target of 222, the fewest taken by any team to chase 200 and more in this format. Northern Knights chased down a target of 203 against Auckland Aces earlier this year during the Super Smash in only 16.5 overs.

Fastest 200+ run chases in Twenty20 cricket:

(Stats as on August 3, 2018)