T20 Blast 2018, Day 12: Round-up

Two games were played on the twelfth day of the Vitality T20 Blast. There was finally a South group game that was played on this day after quite a few North group games on the trot. Middlesex faced Somerset as a part of this South group encounter. The other game that was played was a North group encounter between Northamptonshire and Derbyshire.

By winning the encounter against Middlesex, Somerset moved slightly up the points table. They are now at the sixth place in the South group with four points. On the other hand, Derbyshire won their first game of the season after having lost four games in a row. The team is now in the seventh position on the points table with two points.

Middlesex vs Somerset – South Group

Middlesex opted to bat first after winning the toss. However, they failed to make the most of the conditions. On a pitch that was batting-friendly, they put up a rather below par total. Except for opener Max Holden, none of the other batsmen could really get going. Max scored 84 off 55 balls. But, he got out in the 18th over when the team’s score was 134. It didn’t appear as if they would put a big total on the board. However, with the help of a 32 off 12 balls from DJ Bravo, they put up 175 runs on the board for the loss of 5 wickets.

Somerset batsmen played some aggressive cricket to finish the chase quickly. Although they lost wickets, the batsmen ensured the chase was completed as soon as possible. Opener Johann Myburgh scored 46 off 27 balls. With the help of short cameos from P Trego, Abell and Corey Anderson, the team chased the target down with two overs to spare. Tom Helm and DJ Bravo picked two wickets each.

Brief Scores:

MDX: 175/5 in 20 overs (Max Holden 84, DJ Bravo 32*, Max Waller 2/23)

SOM: 178/6 in 18 overs (Johann Myburgh 46, Corey Anderson 39, Tom Helm 2/29)

Northamptonshire vs Derbyshire – North Group

After opting to bowl first, Northamptonshire conceded a huge number of runs in the first innings. Derbyshire batsman Callum MacLeod scored a brilliant century in the game. He made 104 runs in just 61 balls including 13 fours and 4 sixes. With the help of a 32-ball 50 from Wayne Madsen, the team put up 211 runs on the board in 20 overs for the loss of 2 wickets.

Northamptonshire was never in the chase in this game. They lost 3 wickets in the powerplay and further were down to 76/6 in the 11th over. However, a few cameos lower down the order helped the team at least get close to Northamptonshire’s total. Rory Kleinveldt scored 36 off 14 balls and was also the highest scorer in the innings. But, despite all the efforts, the team was bowled out for just 180 runs within 20 overs falling short of the target by 31 runs. Furthermore, Alex Hughes picked 4 wickets in the innings.

Brief Scores:

DERBY: 211/2 in 20 overs (Callum MacLeod 104, W Madsen 50*, R Kleinveldt 1/43)

NOR: 180/10 in 19.3 overs (R Kleinveldt 36, R Levi 30, Alex Hughes 4/42)