Burly Richard Levi was smoting sixes at will for Northamptonshire against Nottinghamshire and
also whipped 41 in 28 in Leicestershire’s first defeat in the competition so
far, albeit on Duckworth-Lewis. Meanwhile, Wayne Madsen furthered his
reputation as virtually a one-man team in Derbyshire, accumulating 160 runs and
five wickets as an opening bowler. I was also surprised when it was reported that Riki Wessels' 110 against Madsen's side was Notts' first T20 century. He'll miss his old mucker and fellow big-hitter Michael Lumb, though. The former England T20 star announced his immediate retirement this week.
Down South,
the rain was the biggest winner. The champagne boys of Surrey lead the table
after seven games but their closest rivals have only managed two wins. Poor
Glamorgan have experienced three ‘No Results’, including another washout today.
I’m not surprised: it poured here in Cardiff most of the day. Kevin Pietersen’s
ego-boosting parachute into The Oval resulted in a man-of-the-match
half-century followed by a disastrous seven in the London derby, allied to an
embarrassing run-out of an angry team-mate Finch! This match, providing an
entertaining spectacle under the lights in front of 23,000 fans, was more of a
showcase for Surrey’s short-format specialist bowlers like Dernbach and Meaker,
supported by the excellent Curran brothers.
Indeed, it
was the bowlers who enjoyed most of the success in the South Group. Jofra Archer’s
4-18 for Sussex was the best of the week, while Mohammad Amir (Essex), Gareth
Batty (Surrey) Danny Briggs (Hampshire) and Steven Finn (Middlesex) were
consistently economical. For all the latter’s fine performances, and McCullum
and Morgan batting, Middlesex prop up the table. However, a few wins would put
them at the top. It’s that kind of season.
Team of the
Week: Wessels (Not), Levi (Nor), Willey (Yor), Madsen (Der), Whiteley (Nor),
Simpson (Mid +), Pringle (Dur), Batty (Sur), Archer (Sus), Mohammad Amir (Ess),
Finn (Mid)
