Despite a record-breaking 5/18 from Michael Hogan, plus 65 by Sam Northeast and a boundary-laden 46 by Chris Cooke, Surrey won a pulsating match by four wickets with one ball remaining in their Vitality Blast encounter at The Oval.
Morale was high in the Welsh camp after their trouncing last night of the Sussex Sharks at Hove, especially as it was six years since they had won their opening game of the T20 competition. Having named an unchanged line-up, the Welsh county were put into bat with David Lloyd and Sam Northeast opening the batting against Reece Topley and Sam Curran.
Northeast began with successive boundaries to long-off and deep mid-wicket before Lloyd cut Dan Worrall straight into the hands of the fielder at backward point. Marnus Labuschagne replaced him, with Northeast also square-cutting Sam Curran for four. Labuschagne opened his shoulders by straight-driving Worrall for a straight six before dabbing him to third man and scooping him to fine-leg for successive sixes. But with the total on 47 Labuschagne swatted Jamie Overton to Topley at deep backward point.
Sunil Narine then entered the attack as Kiran Carlson joined Northeast and survived a missed stumping as he advanced down the wicket to the Trinidadian spinner. Northeast responded by dabbing Overton to third man for four before swatting him to the ropes at mid-wicket. But after a series of singles, Carlson swept Narine to short fine-leg where the tall Topley dived to complete a good catch.
75-3 saw Chris Cooke join Northeast and he began by clipping Overton for four to fine-leg before cutting him for six over third man. Cooke then harpooned Overton for another six over deep square-leg before swatting Topley through point for four. A single to mid-wicket saw Northeast complete his fifty from 44 balls – his second in successive nights – before Cooke drilled Narine through the covers for four. He also pulled Jordan for four before swatting a series of short balls from Curran for a brace of two’s before swatting him into the hands of the man at fine-leg.
Dan Douthwaite came in and scythed Topley for six to mid-wicket before Northeast swatted the bowler for a pair of maximums over mid-wicket before holing out at long-on. Joe Cooke nurdled a pair of fours to third man for four as the Welsh county ended on 173-5.
Jason Roy began by swatting Hogan for four before nearly holing out to Neser at deep mid-wicket. Jacks then drilled Neser through mid-off for four before Roy drove Hogan for four to mid-wicket. But the wily Australian removed Roy as he skied an expansive drive to Carlson at deep extra-cover before two balls later seeing Jacks miscue a slower ball into the hands of mid-on as he claimed his 99th wicket for Glamorgan in T20 cricket.
23-2 saw Ollie Pope and Laurie Evans join forces with the latter surviving a skied catch to mid-wicket. He celebrated by drilling James Weighell through mid-off and mid-on for four. Pope then slashed Prem Sisodiya for four through point followed by a sweep to fine-leg but Douthwaite then removed Evans who holed out at deep mid-wicket as Curran joined Pope who swatted Douthwaite on both sides of the wicket for a pair of fours.
Curran also cover drove Labuschagne for a pair of fours before Pope nurdled Neser for four as Surrey reached the 100-mark in the 13th over. Curran then drove Sisodiya for six and four off successive balls before sweeping him for a huge six over mid-wicket and then miscuing another drive just out of the reach of the bowler.
The equation became 56 off 42 balls as the pair continued to accumulate in one’s and two’s but Hogan returned and claimed his 100th T20 wicket for Glamorgan as Curran lofted him into Northeast’s hands at deep backward square-leg. Jordan Clark joined Pope with 38 needed off 24 balls and slapped Sisodiya over long-off for six and four in successive balls to reduce the task to 23 from 18 balls.
Pope responded by reverse-pulling Douthwaite for a pair of fours from successive balls to reach his fifty from 41 balls. He then drilled Douthwaite through mid-off for another boundary. With nine needed Hogan returned and became Glamorgan’s leading wicket-taker as Pope swatted him into Northeast’s hands at backward point. Two balls later Clark swatted Hogan to Carlson at deep mid-wicket as the veteran’s over cost just a single to return figures of 5/18 and leaving Surrey needing 8 from the final over from Neser.
Overton struck the first two balls for 2 and 1, before Jordan flayed a ball for 2 to point before scampering another single. Overton then drilled Neser to mid-on for two as a pulsating match ended with Surrey winning with one ball remaining.