T20 Blast 2022 | From Daniel Sam's match-winning storm to Sunil Narine's all-round show, a glance at the Southern group

Essex vs Sussex

Essex scored a mammoth 244 for 7 against Sussex, which the visitors fell 11 short of, despite the efforts from Mohammad Rizwan and Ravi Bopara, with the Eagles registering their fifth win of the season.

Sussex won the toss and asked Essex to bat first. Adam Rossington and Feroze Khushi got Essex’s innings off to a flying start, with an opening partnership of 50 in the first five overs. Michael Pepper and Matt Critchley continued their good form in the Blast, scoring brisk 36 and 34, respectively. Rashid Khan, who was playing his first Blast game this summer, took the wicket of Paul Walter and tried to recover the momentum for Sussex. 

But the arrival of Daniel Sams made the situation even worse for the Sharks, as the Australian continued the onslaught of Sussex bowling. Sams took on Tymal Mills for 29 in an over and guided Essex Eagles to their highest ever total of 244 for 7. The hosts scored 76 in the last four overs, with Daniel Sams finishing at 71 off 24.

Chasing the total of 245, Sussex got to a flying start, despite losing Luke Wright early as Mohammad Rizwan and Ali Orr added 87 off 31 balls for the second wicket. Rizwan departed after scoring 66 of 32. Matt Critchley took two wickets, including the in-form Tom Alsop, for 45 off 26. Ravi Bopara made a quick fire 51 off 26 but could not take his team across the line at the end, and Sussex suffered their fourth successive loss.

Brief Scores:

Essex - 244/7 (20)

Daniel Sams 71(24), Michale Pepper 36(18);

Steven Finn 2/45 (3.1)

Sussex - 233/6 (20)

Mohammad Rizwan 66(32), Ravi Bopara 51(26);

Matt Critchley 2/37 (4)

Result: Essex won by 11 runs.

Somerset vs Gloucestershire

Somerset made it two in two over Gloucestershire, as veteran Peter Siddle held his nerve, and Somerset won the West country derby by just 7 runs.

Somerset lost Will Smeed in the very first over to left-arm pacer Mohammad Amir and were 4 for 1 in the first three overs after being put in to bat. 

Tom Banton and Rilee Rossouw decided to counterattack, which took the host to 43 for 2 at the end of the powerplay and eventually lost Tom Banton for 23 in its last over. Somerset lost Tom Abell and Tom Lammonby early and was 69 for 4 after ten overs. Lewis Gregory joined Rilee Rossouw and started the reconstruction job. Rossouw upped the scoring rate and departed after a 33-ball half-century. Gregory kept the momentum going and scored 60 off 36, taking Somerset to a total of 184 for 6 in 20 overs. 

In reply, Miles Hammond started the innings very well, only to fall for 19 in the 4th over, and Gloucestershire were 51 for 1 at the end of the powerplay. However, after the powerplay, they fell a bit out of the radar, losing four crucial wickets in five overs, including in-form Glenn Phillips. Ryan Higgins was joined by Benny Howell when the asking rate went over 12. The duo added 64 in the successive 30 balls but fell to Peter Siddle in the penultimate over and fell short of the target by just seven runs.

Brief Scores:

Somerset - 184/6 (20)

Lewis Gregory 60(36), Rilee Rossouw 54(35);

Mohammad Amir 2/25 (4)

Gloucestershire - 177/8 (20)

Ryan Higgins 43(29), Benny Howell 42(18);

Peter Siddle 3/30 (4)

Result: Somerset won by 7 runs.

Surrey vs Middlesex

Sunil Narine's all-round show took Surrey to their seventh win in the competition, as Middlesex lost six in a row.

Surrey won the toss and elected to field first. After putting into bat, the visitors lost in-form Max Holden and Joe Cracknell early and Middlesex were 51 for 2 after the powerplay. They further lost skipper Eskinazi for just 25 after the powerplay, followed by John Simpson for 25 and Jack Davies for just 17. Luke Hollman tried to take it deep and finish the innings on a good note but never gained any momentum throughout his innings and Middlesex finished with a modest 155 for 8. Sunil Narine claimed 2 for 27 with the ball.

In reply, the host made a mockery of Middlesex total, finishing the chase of 155 with 29 balls to spare. Chasing 156, Will Jacks and Jamie Smith gave Surrey the perfect start. Surrey were 76 for 1 after the end of the powerplay. They lost Will Jacks (43), followed by Laurie Evans, which propelled the arrival of Sunil Narine. The Trinidadian smashed four sixes in the innings and remained unbeaten with 29-ball 51, helping Surrey to chase 156 in just 15.1 overs. Ollie Pope also scored an unbeaten 37 off 27 in Surrey’s seven wickets over Middlesex, who suffered their sixth defeat in a row.

Brief Scores:

Middlesex - 155/8 (20)

Luke Hollman 31(28), Stephen Eskinazi 25(19);

Sunil Narine 2/27 (4)

Surrey - 158/3 (15.1)

Sunil Narine 51(29), Will Jacks 43(20);

Luke Hollman 1/18 (2)

Result: Surrey won by 7 wickets.