T20 Blast: Bears, Surrey & Sussex reach last eight

2 months ago

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Ged Scott and Ben Kosky

BBC Sport England

Birmingham Bears booked a location quarter-final successful nan T20 Blast for nan 3rd twelvemonth moving - arsenic nan North Group leaders were besides joined successful nan past 8 by Surrey and Sussex from South Group.

A decade connected from their sole T20 Blast Finals Day triumph, nan Bears secured different top-two decorativeness arsenic they hit Derbyshire by 44 runs to guarantee their last 3 games will each beryllium astatine Edgbaston - if they are to win again.

Six different North Group sides, separated by conscionable 4 points, could still subordinate them successful nan past 8 - a conflict for nan apical 4 presently headed by second-placed Lancashire Lightning, third-placed Leicestershire Foxes and Northants Steelbacks, who moved into 4th aft winning a rain-hit crippled against Durham.

While it remains very tight successful nan north, Somerset and Essex some request conscionable a constituent to subordinate Surrey and second-placed Sussex successful nan quarter-finals.

With three-time winners Hampshire and Glamorgan some officially bowing out, Gloucestershire are nan 3rd squad that tin still make it from nan southbound - and they must triumph their past crippled against Middlesex and dream Somerset and Essex some suffer their remaining matches.

North Group - Mousley successful nan house

The Bears piled up 198-2 against Derbyshire acknowledgment to a 2nd Edgbaston 50 wrong 48 hours from Dan Mousley (60 not out, from 44 balls) and besides half-centuries from Sam Hain (52 not retired from 30) and a first successful 2 months from Moeen Ali (59), whose past 1 was for Chennai Super Kings successful nan IPL successful May.

Derbyshire past made a slow commencement earlier falling good short connected 154 arsenic spinners Danny Briggs (3-24) and Jake Lintott (2-24) did nan damage.

Despite this damaging defeat, Derbyshire tin still suffice but must triumph their past 2 games, starting astatine Worcester connected Thursday earlier nan pursuing night's location crippled against Durham.

At Leicester, Leicestershire all-rounder Lewis Goldsworthy deed a career-best 67 to support nan third-placed Foxes' quarter-final push pinch a five-wicket triumph complete East Midlands rivals Notts Outlaws.

New Zealander Jimmy Neesham past backed up Goldsworthy’s capacity pinch 44 from 22 balls as, contempt having slumped to 6-3, nan Foxes won pinch an complete to spare.

It condemned Notts to an eighth conclusion successful what has been comfortably their worst play successful nan existent Blast format.

Image source, NurPhoto - Getty Images

Image caption,

Dawid Malan successfully visited nan New Road bound 12 times

Northants Steelbacks climbed into nan apical 4 arsenic Ashton Agar and Lewis McManus blasted their broadside to a six-wicket DLS triumph astatine Chester-le-Street.

Having been put successful for nan eight-over thrash, Ashton Turner (36 from 17) and Colin Ackermann (25 from 10) powered Durham to a competitory full of 90-5.

But Aussie Agar came successful astatine 3 and smashed 31 to springiness nan visitors a level to pursuit down 91 earlier 2 sixes from McManus and Saif Zaib guided nan visitors home.

England's Dawid Malan slapped 93 disconnected 50 balls astatine Worcester arsenic Yorkshire achieved nan 2nd highest successful tally pursuit successful their 21-year T20 history to support live their qualification hopes.

The Vikings ended immoderate slim Worcestershire hopes arsenic they chased down nan hosts' 205-6 to declare a sixth triumph of nan run connected 208-4 to triumph by six wickets pinch 3 balls to spare.

Malan deed 5 sixes and 7 fours to time off nan Tykes now needing to hit Notts successful their last crippled astatine Headingley and dream for favours elsewhere.

South Group - Jumpin' Jacks flashes

Will Jacks hammered 86 from 46 balls to group up nan 13-run occurrence for Surrey against Essex astatine Chelmsford and gain them a two-point lead astatine nan top.

The England white-ball opener slammed six fours and 5 sixes, holding Surrey’s innings together to guideline them to 189-9 aft a stack of wickets had fallen to rotation duo Simon Harmer (3-44) and Matt Critchley (2-22).

Essex’s consequence was built astir a likewise destructive sound from Adam Rossington, whose 78 from 49 kept them successful contention until he holed retired disconnected Sam Curran successful nan 18th over.

Luc Benkenstein (27) did his champion to rescue nan situation, but he became 1 of 3 victims for Chris Jordan (3-34) arsenic Essex – who are not yet definite of a quarter-final spot – came up short connected 176-8.

Image source, Rex Features

Image caption,

Will Jacks bounced backmost aft making conscionable 15 runs successful his 2 knocks for England astatine nan T20 World Cup

Tom Banton’s unbeaten 79, his highest people of this year’s Blast, propelled Somerset to a comfortable nine-wicket triumph complete Hampshire Hawks astatine Southampton and extremity nan associated grounds three-times winners’ chances of reaching nan quarter-finals again.

The Hawks posted 157-7 from their 20 overs, built astir Tom Prest’s sound of 51 from 32, pinch Jack Leach taking 2-23 for nan visitors and Migael Pretorius and Jake Ball besides claiming 2 wickets apiece.

Somerset made short activity of nan target, pinch George Thomas (29) helping Banton to adhd 81 for nan opening wicket earlier Tom Kohler-Cadmore, pinch an unbeaten 43 from 28, saw them location pinch 2 overs unused.

Gloucestershire skipper Jack Taylor pulverised nan Glamorgan onslaught astatine Cheltenham, equalling his career-best T20 people pinch an unbeaten 80 from 35 balls arsenic his broadside triumphed by a whopping 121 runs to support their qualification hopes alive.

Taylor’s destructive sound underpinned Gloucestershire’s full of 206-6 aft Cameron Bancroft had deed 44 astatine nan apical of nan order, pinch Andy Gorvin (3-26) nan prime of nan visiting bowlers.

Glamorgan were ne'er successful nan hunt aft losing 4 wickets successful nan powerplay and they were hustled retired for conscionable 85 successful 15.5 overs, pinch seamers David Payne and Josh Shaw picking up 3-7 and 2-7 respectively and off-spinner Tom Smith 3-33.