Half centuries by Kiran Carlson and Billy Root, plus a career-best 3/35 by Joe Cooke saw Glamorgan defeat Warwickshire by two wickets in their opening contest in the Royal London One-Day Cup at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff.
Morning update
This is Glamorgan’s first List A match since 7 May 2019 when they defeated Sussex by two wickets at Hove in a televised contest that saw Roman Walker strike a massive six over mid-wicket to clinch victory as his side successfully chased a target of 348 to win. Lukas Carey returned to the Glamorgan side in place of the injured Ruaidhri Smith with the Welsh county also giving a 1st XI debut to Steve Reingold.
With fifteen players either attached to the Hundred franchises, injured or playing for the ECB County XI against the Indian tourists, the Warwickshire side had a very unfamiliar look with Chris Benjamin and Ed Pollock opening the batting against the new ball duo of Michael Hogan and Carey. Both beat the outside edge with Benjamin also miscuing a pull and nearly lobbing the ball to short mid-wicket. Pollock also edged Hogan wide of slip where a diving Billy Root could not quite hold onto the ball. He celebrated his good fortune by pulling Carey for six before cover-driving and on-driving the next two deliveries for four.
However, Carey made the perfect riposte in his next over as Pollock slashed him to point where Joe Cooke took a good diving catch. 21-1 saw Matt Lamb join Benjamin who lofted Carey to fine-leg for six but next over Hogan bowled Lamb with Michael Burgess making his way to the middle with his team on 30-2.
Walker replaced Carey at the Cathedral Road End with Callum Taylor entering the fray at the River End. Benjamin flicked Walker to fine-leg for four and six whilst his partner began with a brace of well-placed two’s. Benjamin then drove Taylor straight for a six en route to a 55-ball fifty but Taylor snared the opener in his next over as, with the total on 93, he skied a drive into Selman’s hands at long-on. Carey then returned and had Jacob Bethell caught down the leg-side by Tom Cullen as the visitor’s slipped to 100-4.
Burgess responded by pulling Cooke for four but the bowler then bowled Ethan Brookes as Ashish Chakrapani made his way to the middle on his List A debut. Burgess greeted the return of Taylor by nurdling him for four prior to on- and off-driving Hogan who had switched to the Cathedral Road End as the visiting captain completed his fifty from 73 balls. Cooke also had a second spell and was pulled to fine-leg by Chakrapani before Burgess drilled Walker through mid-wicket for a rasping boundary.
But their doughty stand ended on 169 as Chakrapani pulled Cooke to deep square-leg where Walker completed the catch. Kyle van Vollenhoven became Burgess’ new partner with the latter pulling Walker for four, but next over he miscued a cover drive against Cooke and was well caught low down by a diving Kiran Carlson.
180-7 saw George Garrett join van Vollenhoven with the pair restricted to a series of singles but on 196 Garrett was run out as he chanced his luck against Carlson as the home captain sent in a rapier-like throw to Tom Cullen. Manraj Johal was the next batter but after scoring five singles he feathered a delivery from Hogan into Cullen’s gloves before Ryan Sidebottom edged Walker to third man for four, but van Vollenhoven then holed out to deep square-leg as Warwickshire ended on 221.
Hamish Rutherford began the Glamorgan innings with a crisp square-drive against Garrett but next over he chopped a delivery from Sidebottom onto his stumps with the home side on 13-1. Steve Reingold started with a flick to square-leg before square-driving Garrett for four, whilst Selman also found the ropes as he drove Garrett through backward point.
Jacob Bethell’s left-arm spin was then introduced and with his fourth delivery he bowled Selman, with 41-2 becoming 41-3 as Johal, also in his first over, removed Reingold who miscued a drive into the hands of the fielder at mid-off. Carlson began by steering Bethell to third man before sending a free hit from Johal through extra-cover. He repeated the stroke in Johal’s next over from a legitimate delivery before the pair worked the ball around as the leg-spin of van Vollenhoven was also introduced.
The 100 came up in the 25th over with Root cover-driving the leg-spinner, before Carlson also straight drove van Vollenhoven for four. This flurry of fours prompted the introduction of Matt Lamb’s off-spin delivered from his idiosyncratic stop-start run-up, whilst Sidebottom returned for a second salvo at the River End. Carlson responded by cover-driving the Anglo-Australian before completing his fifty from 60 balls with a single to mid-off against Lamb.
Carlson celebrated by pulling and cover-driving Sidebottom for a pair of fours as the century stand came up in 129 balls. But Bethell returned and bowled Carlson for 60 as Callum Taylor joined Root with 80 needed from 16.2 overs. Root cover-drove Lamb for four before Taylor did the same to Bethell, but next ball the left-armer trapped Taylor l.b.w. 160-5 immediately became 160-6 as next ball Bethell bowled Cullen.
55 were needed in the last ten overs as Root late-cut Lamb for four before Cooke classically off-drove Garrett to the ropes. Root then completed his patient fifty from 90 balls before Cooke pulled Brookes for four, followed by a deft leg-glance for four. But with the total on 188 Root spliced a drive against Brookes and was cut low down at point as Roman Walker joined Cooke. They took the total to 195 whereupon Cooke was bowled by Brookes, with Carey arriving with 27 needed.
The ninth wicket pair studiously accumulated in singles before Carey cover-drove Brookes for two as the task became 14 from three overs, with Sidebottom then bowling an over which only yielded a bye. Walker then straight drove Brookes for six before scampering another pair of singles with 5 needed from the final over from Sidebottom who began with two dot balls before Carey nonchalantly drilled him through the covers followed by a booming off-drive to clinch a handsome victory.