T20 Blast 2018, Day 25: Round-up

Five games were played on the 25th day in the ongoing Vitality T20 Blast. Among those, a total of eight teams from South Group were in action. The day witnessed some unbelievable individual performances. There were some amazing spectacles both with the bat as well as the ball. Joshua Cobb scored a blistering century while R Smith picked a 4-wicket haul and conceded just 6 runs in his four-over spell.

However, not all these performances ended on a memorable note. Despite some great shows, the teams ended up losing yet again proving why cricket is referred to as a ‘team sport’. Worcestershire continues to lead the points table in the North group. In the South group, Somerset managed to go past Kent to grab the top position. Here is how things progressed on the day:

Northamptonshire vs Warwickshire – North Group

Warwickshire won the toss and opted to bat first in this game. With a good team effort, they posted 187 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in 20 overs. Although they were down to 122/5 in the 16th over, Chris Woakes smashed a quickfire 57 off 23 balls towards the end. Apart from him, Ian Bell with 43 runs and Sam Hain with 31 runs looked impressive. S Prasanna and N Buck picked two wickets each.

Northamptonshire’s innings is a perfect example as to why just one individual performance can’t win you games. Despite wickets tumbling from the other end, irrespective of the pressure and the asking rate that was mounting up, 27-year-old Joshua Cobb put his best foot forward to take his team close. He scored 103 off just 62 balls. However, the next highest score was just 18 which shows his plight. His team ended up falling 17 runs short of the target.

Brief Scores:

Warwickshire: 187/7 in 20 overs (Chris Woakes 57*, Ian Bell 43, S Prasanna 2/33)

Northamptonshire: 170/7 in 20 overs (J Cobb 103, Ricardo Vasconcelos 18, Grant Elliott 3/34)

Result: Warwickshire won by 17 runs

Sussex vs Somerset – South Group

Laurie Evans’ condition in this game was quite similar to the one of Joshua Cobb. After being put into bat first, Sussex lost the wickets of their openers early in the innings. Except for Laurie Evans, no one else could really get going. He scored 96 off 67 balls in the game with the next highest score being a mere 21. He got out on the second last ball of the innings missing out on a well deserved century. Sussex posted 169 runs on the board for the loss of 5 wickets.

Somerset chased down this target only in the last over. While the highest score was 96 in the Sussex innings, it was just 34 in Somerset’s innings which shows how a comprehensive team effort it was. While van der Merwe was unbeaten on 34, Abell scored 30. Despite Rashid Khan picking 3 wickets, he couldn’t get his team home.

Brief Scores:

Sussex: 169/5 in 20 overs (L Evans 96, Tom Bruce 21, Max Waller 2/24)

Somerset: 170/7 in 19.3 overs (Roelof van der Merwe 34*, Abell 30, Rashid Khan 3/29)

Result: Somerset won by 3 wickets

Here is how things proceded in the other games of the day:

Essex vs Surrey – South Group

Essex: 157/5 in 20 overs (V Chopra 52, Michael Pepper 26*, R Clarke 2/24)

Surrey: 159/4 in 16.3 overs (Maddinson 49*, R Clarke 37*, Ashar Zaidi 2/27)

Result: Surrey won by 6 wickets

Middlesex vs Glamorgan – South Group

Middlesex: 131/10 in 20 overs (James Fuller 46*, George Scott 32, R Smith 4/6)

Glamorgan: 135/3 in 12.5 overs (Colin Ingram 46*, Kiran Carlson 40, Steven Finn 2/37)

Result: Glamorgan won by 7 wickets

Kent vs Gloucestershire – South Group

Kent: 160/5 in 20 overs (Joe Denly 99*, D Bell-Drummond 19, Howell 2/29)

Gloucestershire: 164/2 in 19.2 overs (M Hammond 51, M Klinger 46, Calum Haggett 1/30)

Result: Gloucestershire won by 8 wickets

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