The Curran brothers Sam and Tom put Middlesex’s bowlers to the sword as Surrey won the T20 Blast London derby at Lord’s by 77 runs.
Sam, having returned to London after an underwhelming stint at the IPL with Punjab Kings, took out his frustration on the Seaxes with 68 off 47 balls, including two big sixes in Surrey’s 199-6.
Brother Tom, playing these days under a white-ball only contract, was if anything even more belligerent with 50 off 33 balls with eight fours as the siblings added 118 in 11 overs. Will Jacks earlier blasted a quickfire 43.
Three wickets in the final over for Tom Helm gave him 3-38, while left-arm spinner Nathan Fernandez took 1-27 from three overs on debut.
Jacks then starred with the ball, returning 3-17, backed up by Gus Atkinson (3-20) as the hosts could only muster 126 in reply, despite defiant striking by Max Holden who top scored with 43.
Jacks, who had made two swashbuckling half-centuries in his last three innings against Middlesex at Lord’s in the format, came out swinging from ball one and while he played and missed at a few the England man took heavy toll of a full toss from Helm, belting it back past the bowler for four.
Teenager Fernandez, thrown on in the powerplay struck second ball when pinch-hitter Sunil Narine hit him straight to cover, but Jacks sent two drag downs from leg-spinner Luke Hollman into the stands, before a brilliant catch by Helm on the fence at mid-on ended his revelry at 43
The Currans’ progress was steady initially, but the 12th over bowled by Ryan Higgins changed the complexion as Tom Curran despatched the all-rounder to all parts, hitting five fours in succession.
Not to be upstaged Sam Curran then cut loose, denting Fernandez’s excellent figures to that point with consecutive sixes.
Blake Cullen, back on Middlesex first-team duty for the first time in more than a year was rusty and his 11-ball over, including a waist-high full toss and four wides only added to Surrey’s momentum.
The 100-stand came in 56 balls, and we were in the penultimate over by the time Tom top-edged a steepling catch back to grateful bowler Higgins. Sam too left before the end as the south Londoners finished one shy of 200.
For Middlesex much depended on skipper Stephen Eskinazi , but he departed for just one, run out following a mix-up from the fourth ball of the innings.
The exciting Joe Cracknell deposited a short one from Sean Abbot into the second tier of the Mound Stand only to perish trying to repeat the feat meaning both openers were gone with 27 on the board.
Pieter Malan back from injury also found the stands before departing to Gus Atkinson for a breezy 30, and Jacks then struck twice in his first over, removing the dangerous Ryan Higgins, caught at mid-off before bowling Hollman round his legs.
Throughout this period Max Holden had hit bravely, smiting two big sixes at a strike rate approaching 200, but when Narine bowled him for 43 the game was up.
Eskinazi said: “The Currans played fantastically well on what I thought was a very good surface actually it slid on beautifully. They went to all their experience, but I don’t think the game ever really got away from us with the ball and we felt like 200 was probably par with the short boundary and if we got off to a good start in the powerplay we had every chance of chasing them down.
“We were ahead of them after the six overs and 60-2 chasing 200 you’re ahead of the game. The thing for us is finding that balance between taking the positive option, hitting our boundaries, but still being smart.
“I think it’s time (for Max Holden) we’ve all been there and anyone who has taken their game to the next level has that realisation they can do better and be better than they have done, and Max is a guy with boundless talent. If he can go out there and take the world’s best spinner (Sunil Narine) whose economy rate might be in the sixes at about 11 an over and play him like a club spinner, He’s good enough to do it as 20,000 people saw today.
“Their spinner (Narine) has played 700 games and Nathan (Fernandes) has played zero. So, for him to be thrown to the wolves in the powerplay bowling to two good players with a short boundary when Martin Andersson dislocated his finger, I think that is invaluable experience. I judge him there on his attitude and his approach rather than the outcome and both were spot on.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here