Despite 63 from Jacques Rudolph and 68 by Jim Allenby, Glamorgan lost to the Essex Eagles by four wickets with two balls remaining in their NatWest T20 Blast at Chelmsford.
Both teams won their opening contest in the competition, but each have also been affected by injury and illness, with Graham Wagg (groin strain) and Murray Goodwin (unwell) missing from the Welsh county's side, whilst the Eagles are without a number of players including Graham Napier, Tymal Mills and David Masters whilst Ryan ten Doeschate is playing in the Indian Premier League. Michael Hogan had returned from paternity leave in Australia and he was one of three changes to the Glamorgan team which defeated Hampshire with the fast bowler, plus Stewart Walters and David Lloyd replacing Wagg, Goodwin and Ruaidhri Smith.
However, it was the unusual opening pairing of Jim Allenby and Jacques Rudolph who opened the Glamorgan batting as Monty Panesar began the bowling with Rudolph deftly late-cutting his first delivery for four. Matt Salisbury opened the bowling at the River End and was hit inside-out for four over backward point by Rudolph before striking Tanveer Sikander's first three deliveries through the covers, to fine-leg and to mid-off, all for four.
Allenby then got into four-hitting mode as he drilled Salisbury through the covers before continuing to work the ball around for a series of singles. Rudolph then lofted Reece Topley to mid-wicket for four before Allenby off-drove Sikander for another scorching four as Glamorgan raced to the 50-mark in the 6
th over with Rudolph glancing the Pakistani to the fine-leg ropes before lofting him again over the head of mid-off as the turbo-charged start continued.
Rudolph did have a life when Topley spilled a diving catch at long-on as Panesar nearly ended the torrent of runs but next over he reached his fifty from 27 balls with a single off Greg Smith. Allenby then swept Smith for six over mid-wicket but with the total on 96 Rudolph was caught at long-off, and two balls later Jesse Ryder struck again as Mark Wallace was caught at mid-wicket.
A wide by Topley brought up the hundred in the 12
th over before Allenby edged Ryder through the vacant slips for four. Both batsmen then struck massive leg-side sixes against Smith before Allenby lofted Salisbury for another maximum in the direction of the city centre as he completed a 38-ball fifty. He celebrated next over by reverse-sweeping Panesar before lofting him over extra cover for successive fours.
Walters also pulled a short ball from Panesar for four before drilling Ryder to long-off for four, followed next over by a savage pull for six to a no-ball from Topley. The bowler responded by dismissing Allenby for 68 before Chris Cooke came in and pulled Salisbury for six. But the bowler then had Walters and Cooke caught off successive deliveries before Ben Wright and David Lloyd scampered some singles in the final over before the latter was caught off the penultimate ball as Glamorgan ended on 189/6.
Allenby took the new ball and his third delivery was speared to backward point by Ryder, before pulling Will Owen's first two balls at the River End. Mark Pettini also pulled a four before Ryder clubbed the last ball over the mid-wicket ropes for six. But Hogan then struck with his first delivery as Pettini was caught behind.
With Tom Westley as his new partner, Ryder continued his stand and deliver approach by chipping Andrew Salter for four before swatting Owen for four through point. But the seam bowler gained revenge and the Kiwi's scalp as he miscued another expansive blow and holed out to Walters on the cover boundary with Essex losing their big-hitting batsman with the total on 44.
Westley responded with a pair of fours in Cosker's opening over before Rudolph's wrist spin was introduced at the Hayes Close End with the Springbok nearly bowling Westley with his second delivery. The batsman then twice lofted Allenby to wide long-on and orthodox long-on for a pair of sixes, whilst Ben Foakes also lofted Salter into the River Stand for six as Essex reached 97/2 at the halfway stage.
Hogan then returned and was swatted to wide long-on by Foakes but it was the only boundary of the over and Rudolph then conceded just eight runs as the tempo dipped, and in an attempt to strike a boundary Westley chipped Owen to Salter on the mid-wicket boundary. The task became 65 off 7 overs as Cosker returned at the River End but the wily spinner conceded a brace of singles before James Foster reverse-swept him for four. He then played a pair of orthodox sweeps for four against Allenby before hitting him inside-out over cover for a pair of sixes as the equation dramatically became 33 from five overs.
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Hogan returned at the River End with his third over yielding just three runs and the vital wicket of Foster who miscued to third man. His departure saw the arrival of Smith with 30 needed off 24 balls and Foakes responded by lashing Owen to the cover boundary as the task became 23 from 18 balls as Cosker bowled his final over at the River End and ended Foakes innings as he yorked the batsman.
Essex needed 18 from 12 balls and after two singles, Smith straight drove Hogan for four and six, before the Australian bowled Kishan Velani as the home side entered the final over needing five to win. Smith cover drove Allenby for two, and then after a couple of singles with Salisbury, Smith drilled Allenby straight for six to clinch victory with two balls remaining.