T20 Blast 2019, Day 2: Round-up

Courtesy some non-stop rain, only one full game out of a total of seven matches was possible on the second day of the T20 Blast. In the other game that yielded a result, a total of 10 overs had to be cut down. Four of these matches were abandoned even without a ball bowled.

However, in whatever action that was possible, the fans were entertained to the fullest. The second day of the T20 Blast saw Cameron Delport become the first centurion of the 2019 edition and this game ended being a one-sided contest. The other game was an absolute humdinger and proved yet again why the margin of error is so small in this game.

Here is how things progressed on the day:

Durham vs Northamptonshire – North Group

On a tricky surface and in overcast conditions, Durham was put in to bat first by the Northants. The openers, D’Arcy Short and Scott Steel laid a steady platform for the team. They scored 46 off 40 balls and 37 off 36 balls respectively. However, the team couldn’t finish as well as they’d have liked despite having wickets in hand. Skipper Stuart Poynter scored 19 runs off 11 balls towards the end to push the total to 148/4.

Northamptonshire struggled during the chase and kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Except for Adam Rossington who scored 47, none of the other batsmen in the top-five even got to the double figures. Dwaine Pretorius and Rob Keogh tried hard towards the end by making some valuable contributions. Yet, the team fell short of the target by a minimal 7 runs.

Brief Scores:

DUR: 148/4 in 20 overs (D’Arcy Short 46, Scott Steel 37, Graeme White 2/36)

NOR: 141/9 in 20 overs (A Rossington 47, Rob Keogh 30*, Matty Potts 2/11)

Result: Durham won by 7 runs.

Essex vs Surrey – South Group

This game was all about Cameron Delport and his heroics. The South African opened the batting for his team and blew the opposition apart. Men standing at the other end were mere spectators and many even got carried away looking at the way he hit the ball. Delport scored 129 runs from only 49 balls in this 15-over match. He hit 7 fours and 14 sixes in this knock. Daniel Lawrence, the only other player to get to the double figures, remained unbeaten on 57 off 22 balls as the team scored a mammoth 226/4.

In the chase, Will Jacks (29 off 8) and Aaron Finch (40 off 19) provided Surrey with a good start. However, the next three batsmen in the line-up registered ducks. Jordan Clark and Rory Burns scored 45 and 47 runs respectively towards the end. But the team fell way short of the target and lost the game by 52 runs.

Brief Scores:

ESS: 226/4 in 15 overs (Cameron Delport 129, Daniel Lawrence 57*, G Batty 2/38)

SUR: 174/7 in 15 overs (Rory Burns 47*, Jordan Clark 45, Matthew Quinn 3/34)

Result: Essex won by 52 runs (Match reduced to 15 overs per side due to rain)

Here is how things progressed in the other games:

Gloucestershire vs Glamorgan – South Group

GLAM: 96/8 in 15.3 overs (David Lloyd 21, Colin Ingram 17, Benny Howell 5/18)

[No result]

* – Worcestershire vs Warwickshire, Hampshire vs Sussex, Yorkshire vs Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire vs Lancashire – Matches abandoned without a ball bowled due to rain.