On the final day of the 2011 Friends Life T20 group stage, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire each won again to take full control of the North division, joined by Lancashire and Durham. Further South, Hampshire stayed top despite the rain at Southampton, followed by Sussex, for whom Murray Goodwin struck an unbeaten century, and Kent. Somerset had already clinched a quarter-final place despite suffering four washouts.
Adam Voges and Alex Hales have been amongst the runs for Notts but the only man to aggregate 500 runs so far is Leicester captain Andrew McDonald. Marcus Trescothick's strike rate of almost 170 remains the highest amongst the leading scorers and he must hope to make more in the knockout stages provided his team-mates behave themselves!
The leading wicket-takers are not exactly the best-known bowlers in the country. In fact they're not even the best known in their own counties. Journeyman Tim Phillips, now at Essex, heads the list with 26 but right behind him is Harry Gurney. Er, Harry who? The Leicestershire left-arm seamer has a mediocre record in first-class ccricket but 22 scalps in 13 games at an economy rate of under 7 an over is pretty impressive stuff. However, it is interesting to note that, as in the IPL, the most economical men in the tournament thus far are predominantly spinners like Gary Keedy, Saeed Ajmal, Imran Tahir, Robert Croft and Shahid Afridi, all going for under a run a ball. Paul Collingwood's 5 for 6 this week also projected him into this exclusive group
The number 2000 has been bandied about a lot recently, as we approach the 2000th Test match. However, for my 100th blog, I must celebrate the first batsman to reach 2000 runs in the English Twenty20 Cup, the world's oldest competition in this format. His name is Darren Stevens. The 35 year-old struck a typically rapid 41 not out then took 4-21 to carry Kent into the last eight today and his runs also helped him reach the 2000 just head of another Darren, Maddy. It is a coincidence that Stevens has compiled 357 runs in the 2011 tournament, exactly the same as David Hussey, whose worldwide T20 career total of almost 4000 is the best of anyone in the game. Like the great Aussie, the Kent man is extremely consistent and, with his medium-pace bowling, makes him one of the most effective 20-over players in the domestic game. He has never reached three figures in T20 but seems to specialise in high-octane innings in the closing overs, either chasing or, as today against Essex, seeking to put his side out of reach of even Tim Phillips! With him around, I fancy Kent could surprise the highly-fancied Notts, Somerset and holders Hampshire and win the Cup.
