T20 Blast 2022 | Round-up June 23 | South Group

Middlesex vs Essex 

Middlesex elected to field first in a crucial league match against Essex at Lord's. 

Essex had a good start with Adam Rossington (19) and Micheal Pepper (26), scoring around 60 runs in the powerplay overs. Then the knocks from experienced campaigners Daniel Lawrence (51) and Tom Westley (50) paved the way for the team to post 161 runs on the board. Chris Green was the pick of the bowlers with three scalps for Middlesex.

In response, captain Stephen Eskinazi was impressive with his knock of 43 off 38 balls. However, the other key batters could not rise to the occasion and contribute to the team. Although Jack Davies scored 41 in the middle-order, and Jason Behrendroff provided a late blitz of 22* off 11 balls, Middlesex fell short by 21 runs. Samuel Cook emerged as the most successful bowler for the visitors with three wickets. 

Brief Scores:

Essex- 161/6 (20)

Dan Lawrence 51(35), Tom Westley 50 (41);

Chris Green 3/16

Middlesex- 140/8 (20)

Stephen Eskinazi 43 (38), Jack Davies 41 (42);

Samuel Cook 3/23, Simon Harmer 2/26

Result: Essex won by 21 runs

Sussex vs Surrey

Sussex were invited to bat at their home ground, Hove, by the Chris Jordan-led side. 

It was a strong start for them in the first half of their innings, as Mohammad Rizwan hit 48 off 32, while Ali Orr contributed 30 off 19. However, Sussex got a late push in the latter half of the innings, with Delray Rawlins and George Garton scoring unbeaten 34 and 24 respectively in quick time, which paved the way for them to post 172 on the board. For the visitors, Gus Atkinson scalped two wickets. 

Then, Surrey's top-scorer Will Jacks was terrific yet again to dominate the opposition in the powerplay overs and continued his momentum after the lifting of field restrictions as well. However, single-digit scores at the other end put him under pressure, and he was dismissed on 76 off 48 balls in the 15th over, and the team lost the match by 17 runs. 

Tymal Mills and Rawlins picked up two wickets each for Sussex. This win has kept the home team in contention for the knock-outs. 

Sussex- 172/5 (20)

Mohammad Rizwan 48 (32), Delray Rawlins 34 (17);

Gus Atkinson 2/17

Surrey- 155/10 (20)

Will Jacks 76 (48), Laurie Evans 25 (15);

Tymal Mills 2/21, Delray Rawlins 2/36

Result: Sussex won by 17 runs

Somerset vs Hampshire

Somerset and Hampshire met in their respective 11th group fixture at Cooper Associates Ground, Taunton, with the former choosing to field first. 

In the first over, Hampshire lost their in-form opener, Ben McDermott. However, James Vince and Tom Prest were at their best to make full use of the powerplay overs and accelerate the run rate in the middle overs. Prest was dismissed for 62 off 46 in the 15th over, while Vince remained unbeaten on 129 off 62 balls to power the team towards a total of 208. Jack Brooks and Siddle scalped two wickets for the home team. 

In reply, Somerset made a glorious start with the knocks of openers Will Smeed (43) and Tom Banton (54). However, their 81-run stand was broken in the ninth over by James Fuller. At number three, Rilee Rossouw continued his excellent form to score 55 off 28 balls. However, the middle-order could not contribute enough, as Hampshire fell short by 14 runs. For Somerset, Liam Dawson and Chris Wood picked up two wickets each. 

This win helped Hampshire break into the top four positions in the South Group points table. 

Brief scores: 

Hampshire- 208/5 (20)

James Vince 129* (62), Tom Prest 62 (46); 

Jack Brooks 2/45, Peter Siddle 2/31

Somerset- 194/9 (20) overs 

Rilee Rossouw 55 (28), Tom Banton 54 (38);

Chris Wood 2/26, Liam Dawson 2/54

Result: Hampshire won by 14 runs