Despite being ravaged by injuries and illness, Glamorgan maintained their unbeaten record in the Vitality Blast at The Oval by beating Surrey by four wickets with Kiran Carlson striking 58 off 32 balls and Graham Wagg an unbeaten 46 from 26 balls.
Colin Ingram’s overnight illness, which has seen him in hospital following an allergic reaction, means that Glamorgan are led today by Chris Cooke, and with Joe Burns also absent with a back injury, there were two changes to the Welsh county’s line-up for tonight’s encounter with Nick Selman and Craig Meschede coming into the side at a ground where Glamorgan have a 100% success rate in the short form of the game.
Ruaidhri Smith opened the bowling at the Vauxhall End and saw his second delivery cover driven for four by Jason Roy. Michael Hogan’s second delivery was also swatted for four by Aaron Finch before Jason Roy plonked him over mid-wicket for six. Finch nearly holed off at long-on and mid-wicket in Meschede’s first over before scything him to third man and extra cover for muscular fours.
Jason Roy then nonchalantly drilled Timm van der Gugten over long-off for six begore Hogan returned for a frugal second over. Finch then slogged van der Gugten to mid-wicket to bring up the fifty in the sixth over but he then swatted the Dutchman into Graham Wagg’s hands at cover.
54/1 saw Nic Maddinson join Roy but their stand lasted just six balls and four runs as Roy lofted Andrew Salter to Aneurin Donald at long-on. Ben Foakes made his way to the middle and survived a loud shout for l.b.w against Smith before on-driving Salter for four. Maddinson then cover drove the off-spinner before doing the same to Smith, followed by a scythed four to third man as Surrey reached 90/2 at the halfway stage.
Foakes also swept Salter for four before a series of singles saw Surrey into three figures. The sequence was ended as Foakes lofted successive balls from Salter over mid-wicket for six but next over he lofted Wagg in the same direction with Selman pouching the skier.115/3 saw Ollie Poe join forces with Maddinson who then survived a caught and bowled chance to a slower ball from the left-armer, who then next ball missed a run-out chance as Maddinson was sent back by his new partner.
The Australian celebrated his good fortune by lofting van der Gugten over long-on and extra cover for six and four before nearly swatting the Dutchman to Smith running in from deep square-leg. But later in the over he reached his fifty from 31 balls by harpooning van der Gugten high over square-leg, before pulling Hogan for four. But Wagg then completed his parsimonious spell with the sequence of dots and singles being ended as Pope lofted Hogan for six followed by a swat off a free hit for six to fine-leg.
Pope then drilled Hogan over extra-cover for four before pulling van der Gugten for six. A smart piece of fielding by Wagg at long-off saw Maddinson depart for 70 in the final over before Rikki Clarke struck the last ball for four as Surrey ended on 194/4.
Aneurin Donald and Usman Khawaja started Glamorgan’s response, but with just two runs on the board, Donald clipped Dernbach into the hands of Finch at short-fine-leg.
Meschede was duly promoted to number three and clipped his first ball to long-leg for four before Khawaja swatted Clarke over cover for a second boundary, before a third by flicking Tom Curran to fine leg but next ball he miscued the young all-rounder to long-on where Gareth Batty completed the catch.
15/2 saw Carlson join Meschede who benefitted from four overthrows after sprinting a single. He celebrated by lofting Clarke for sixes over mid-wicket and long-off before Carlson steered Curran for successive fours through backward point and extra cover as Glamorgan ended the powerplays on 47/2.
Meschede then drilled Batty’s first three balls for huge sixes over wide long-on and long-off, but then perished next ball as he was caught at short third man having struck 43 off 19 balls.
65/3 saw Cooke join Carlson who smeared Pillans over point for four before pulling him for six. The pair then ran some furious singles as Scott Borthwick’s leg-spin was introduced. Carlson responded by pulling him over square-leg for another maximum, but later in the over Cooke perished attempting to repeat the stroke as Curran held the catch on the boundary’s edge with Glamorgan on 93/4.
Wagg was the new batsman and he saw Glamorgan past the 100-mark by pulling Batty for four before lofting Borthwick into the OCS Stand for s straight six followed by a coruscating pull for another maximum. After a wide he lofted him to wide long-on for another six as the target became 71 from 48 balls.
Carlson responded by biffing Pillans over mid-wicket for six followed next ball by a pull almost off his eyebrows for another six into the top tier of the pavilion before completing a maiden Twenty20 fifty from 28 balls by edging Pillans to the vacant third man boundary. He celebrated by launching Clarke for four over extra-cover as the task became39 off 31 balls whereupon he drilled Clarke to Dernbach at mid-off and departed for 58.
Selman joined Wagg and chipped the ball around as the equation became 33 off 24 balls then 27 off 18 before Wagg drilled Curran through mid-off for four, followed by a hug six from Selman over mid-wicket. He then pulled Curran for four before driving him to Borthwick at mid-off. Salter then swatted a no ball from Curran for one
The flurry of runs meant that just 9 were needed from the last two overs and Salter struck a couple of twos before bringing the scores level with an off-drive for four before clipping the next ball to square-leg to secure a victory with an over to spare.