A career-best 78 from 40 balls by Aneurin Donald plus a muscular 42 by Colin Ingram and a spirited bowling and fielding performance saw Glamorgan continue their quest of a place in the quarter-finals of the NatWest T20 Blast and an unbeaten record in T20 cricket at The Kia Oval as they beat Surrey by six runs in an action-packed encounter.
With Lukas Carey replacing Timm van der Gugten in the Welsh county’s line-up from last night ‘s rain-affected contest with Gloucestershire at The SSE SWALEC, it was Jacques Rudolph and Aneurin Donald who opened the batting after Glamorgan opted to bat first. Jade Dernbach began the bowling at the Pavilion End and was pulled for six in the opening over by Donald who then struck a trio of fours in the second over as he off-drove, cover drove and hooked Sam Curran.
With Rudolph yet again quietly working the ball around for singles, Donald controlled in the role of the aggressor as he clipped Dernbach to fine-leg for another crisply-struck four. Rikki Clarke duly replaced Curran at the Vauxhall End and saw Donald dropped by a diving Stuart Meaker at short fine-leg, but Jason Roy made amends next ball at point as he caught Rudolph with the total on 33.
Colin Ingram announced his arrival by drilling his first ball through extra-cover for four followed by a pull for four next over as Tom Curran entered the fray before the Welsh county reached the 50-mark in the 7th over with a brace of singles. Ingram then harpooned Gareth Batty into the back row of the OCS Stand for six when the spinner entered the attack at the Vauxhall End before Donald unfurled a cheeky ramp stroke for four to fine-leg as Stuart Meaker had a trundle at the Pavilion End.
Donald also impishly scooped Sam Curran to long-leg for four en route to a 30-ball fifty, but not before Ingram had pulled a no ball from Curran for an enormous six almost into the gasometers adjacent to the ground. Donald reached his fifty by on-driving Batty for four before hoisting him for a six and two fours to mid-wicket, followed by a deft flick to fine-leg in an over costing 22 runs during which the young tyro reached his highest score in the competition.
The batting fireworks continued as Ingram bludgeoned Moises Henriques through the covers for four followed by another massive straight drive for six. Donald then lofted Meaker to long-off for four before miscuing the next ball into the hands of mid-wicket. 128/2 then became 131/3 as Ingram slashed Henriques to Meaker at point having biffed a spectacular 42 off 31 balls.
A further stutter took place five runs later as Chris Cooke clipped Tom Curran to mid-wicket before David Miller and Andrew Salter joined forces with five overs remaining. Miller began by fiercely square-cutting Dernbach for four before deftly guiding the next ball through the vacant slip cordon for a more sublime boundary. Salter then drilled the former England international to the ropes at long-off but perished next ball at deep mid-wicket as Graham Wagg became Miller’s new partner.
The all-rounder announced his arrival with a massive six to mid-wicket in Clarke’s last over followed by three to long-off. Miller then pulled the first ball of the last over for six before pulling Tom Curran to deep mid-wicket. Craig Meschede joined Wagg for the remaining balls as the Welsh county ended on 181/6.
The massive crowd were then almost stunned into silence as Carey struck with his first ball as Jason Roy edged into Cooke’s gloves before Stoneman got a thick outside edge just over the outstretched hands of Ingram at slip. But the cacophony of music and applause returned as Aaron Finch struck successive deliveries from Michael Hogan for six and four to long-on and extra cover respectively.
Finch then turned his attention to Marchant de Lange flat-batting him over the ropes at mid-wicket for six. Stoneman then steered Carey through point, mid-wicket and fine-leg for a trio of fours before pulling and flicking Hogan to midwicket to bring up the fifty in the sixth over. But his assertive cameo ended in Wagg’s opening over as the England aspirant pulled the ball to Donald at deep mid-wicket.
63/2 saw Henriques join Finch as Ingram had a spell at the Vauxhall End. Finch swatted the leg-spinner to long-on before chipping the next ball into Miller’s hands on the boundary’s edge as he tried to repeat the stroke. 72/3 saw Ollie Pope join Henriques and the youngster was nearly run out first ball by Donald who made a direct hit from third man as the Surrey pair chanced a second run.
Surrey were 84/3 at the halfway stage as the task became 98 from 60 balls. Henriques responded by slashing de Lange to the point boundary but next ball he pulled the paceman to into the hands of deep square-leg. Three runs later it became 91/5 Sam Curran drilled Meschede to Miller at long-off. Clarke then brought up the Surrey hundred with a four to third man against De Lange before edging down the legside into Cooke’s gloves.
With the boundary’s having dried up, the task had become 64 from 30 balls as Pope flat-batted Meschede for four through extra cover followed by an inventive “dil-scoop” to the ropes at third man but in de Lange’s final over he became the paceman’s third victim as he miscued to short mid-wicket. Meaker then drove Hogan for four before Tom Curran lofted Hogan for six and four to reduce the equation to 32 from a dozen balls.
Curran then swatted the first ball of the penultimate over from Wagg for six over deep mid-wicket but he could only hit the second ball for a single. A bye then followed before Curran hit a two to extra cover followed by a flick to fine-leg for four. He then struck the last ball to cover for one leaving 17 needed off the final over from Hogan. He drilled the first ball to long-off for two before striking the next ball over the head of the same fielder for six.
Curran failed to connect with the next two balls as Hogan went around the wicket. He scampered two off the penultimate ball with six needed off the last to tie, but he could only drive Hogan straight to cover as Glamorgan won by 6 runs.