A blistering 24-ball fifty by Aneurin Donald plus a four-wicket haul for Michael Hogan saw Glamorgan return to winning ways as they beat Hampshire by five wickets in the NatWest T20 Blast at The SSE SWALEC and record a handsome victory which put them on top of their group table.
Glamorgan fielded the same team from Wednesday night when they were beaten by the Essex Eagles, so it was Dale Steyn and Timm van der Gugten who shared the new ball as Michael Carberry and James Vince began the Hampshire innings, with the latter striking Steyn for four through point before cover-driving van der Gugten. Carberry got off the mark by biffing Steyn through point before driving Michael Hogan’s first ball to long-off. But he then miscued a pull with Dean Cosker completing the catch at backward point.
30/1 saw Jimmy Adams make his way to the middle to join Vince who continued to find the ropes as he on-drove Hogan for four. Adams began by square-cutting van der Gugten to backward point, but with the total on 42, Vince was bowled by Hogan as Adam Wheater made his way to the middle.
Dean Cosker duly entered the attack at the end of the powerplays and with his fourth ball he induced another miscued drive as Adams holed out to Graham Wagg at deep mid-wicket. Craig Meschede then joined the attack at the River End and saw Sean Ervine chip a ball into Jacques Rudolph’s hands at extra cover as Hampshire slipped further to 58/4.
Wheater responded by scything Meschede to third man for four before lofting Cosker over extra cover and next ball reverse-sweeping the evergreen spinner to the ropes at point. Wheater also pulled Wagg for four but on 39 he sauntered down the track and was deftly stumped by Chris Cooke as Hampshire reached 93/5.
Shahid Afridi joined Liam Dawson and he began by pulling Wagg for a huge six over the ropes at deep mid-wicket before doing the same to Colin Ingram when he entered the attack for the 15th over. The Pakistani also straight drove the leg-spinner but Hogan returned and removed Dawson who scooped the ball to short fine-leg where Steyn completed the catch.The Springbok then immediately claimed a wicket in his comeback over as Gareth Berg edged into Chris Cooke’s gloves, with Darren Sammy joining Afridi. The latter then cover drove and straight drove successive balls from Hogan but the paceman had the last laugh as the Pakistani holed out at long-off. Steyn then removed Gareth Andrew who edged a pull into Cooke’s gloves before ending the innings by trapping Tino Best l.b.w.
Glamorgan’s target was 142 as Rudolph and David Lloyd began Glamorgan’s response but with just five runs on the board Rudolph drilled a ball from Andrew to cover where Vince took a fine catch above his head. Four runs later Berg dismissed Lloyd l.b.w. with his first delivery as Aneurin Donald joined Ingram and began by cover driving and straight driving Berg for four..
Ingram also clipped Andrew for successive fours to fine-leg and long-on, and followed two balls later by a rasping cover drive for the third boundary of the over.Donald then launched Sammy’s first ball high over mid-wicket for six before dispatching the second for four through extra cover. The fifth was then pulled to deep square-leg before the sixth was mowed to deep mid-wicket to end a turbo-charged over for the young batsman.
The boundaries kept flowing as Ingram flicked Berg to fine-leg for four before drilling him high over long-on for six as Glamorgan roared to 63/2 sat the end of the powerplays. Tino Best then entered the attack and was clipped to fine-leg for another four by Donald, but he was then dropped at mid-wicket by Sammy attempting another maximum. He celebrated his good fortune by clipping a full toss from the West Indian for six before pulling the next for four to fine-leg.
Ingram then drilled Afridi for six over long-off before Donald completed a 24-ball fifty to equal the record for the fastest half-century for Glamorgan by a homegrown batsman - held by the late Tom Maynard, as well as Richard Grant and David Hemp, and bettered only by the 18-ball half-centuries struck by the Kiwi pairing of Brendan McCullum and James Franklin in Twenty20 cricket in 2006. He celebrated by sweeping Dawson for four but the spinner gained revenge as he bowled the young tyro as he tried to repeat the shot.
103/3 saw Cooke join Ingram but five runs later, Ingram miscued a drive to Andrew at short extra-cover as Dawson struck again. But Cooke and Wagg worked the spinners around for one’s and two’s but Wagg was bowled heaving at Afridi’s final delivery. The seamers returned with 27 needed off 36 balls with Best returning at the Cathedral Road End and Gareth Berg at the River End.
But Cooke settled any jitters by pulling Best for six followed by a rasping cover drive for four before Meschede pulled Berg for six over mid-wicket and Cooke drilled Best to the same area for four as Glamorgan romped home with 23 balls to spare.