Openers stand and deliver in Jets’ win
TOM LATHAM praised Durham Jets’ batting efforts after they muzzled Birmingham Bears to claim an 18-run T20 Vitality Blast victory at Edgbaston.
Captain Latham and fellow opener Graham Clark hit half-centuries to help steer the Jets to an impressive 220-6.
They shared an opening stand of 126 in 68 balls, Clark contributing 65 from 40 balls with seven fours and three sixes and Latham 58 from 34 balls with four fours and four sixes.
Sam Hain (95) and Colin de Grandhomme (62 not out) kept the Midlanders’ hopes alive into the closing overs - but finding 35 from the last two proved too much and the Bears closed on 202-5.
The result makes it two wins from four Blast games for Durham, who return to T20 action against Nottighamshire at Trent Bridge tomorrow night.
Kiwi Latham said: “It was nice to come out on the right side in the end.
“Twenty runs is quite a big victory in Twenty20 terms but it felt a lot closer than the scores suggest
“The important thing in T20 cricket is to build partnerships and if you do get away to a flier to make sure you keep going and capitalise.
“So it was nice we managed to put on a partnership at the top of the order and then, after we lost a few wickets, Paul Collingwood and Will Smith did really well to get is to an above-par score.
“When you post that sort of score and then bowl a wicketmaiden first up it is always pleasing.
“That set the tone for the way we wanted to go about things.”
He added: “Credit to de Grandhomme and Hain for the way they played.
“That partnership put us under a lot of pressure but we knew they had to keep going.
“The run-rate was creeping up and Nathan Rimmington and James Weighell bowled very good overs and Paul Collingwood bowled two really good ones towards the middle of the innings and that was vitally important.”
The Jets’ second win of the tournament keeps them right in the qualification race.
Durham chose to make first use of a good batting track and Clark and Latham amassed the Jets’ record T20 opening stand.
Clark was first to 50 (31 balls) when he hoisted Olly Hannon-Dalby into the Hollies Stand.
In the next over, a Latham six off countryman Grant Elliott posted the 100 up from 9.3 overs.
Birmingham hit back with four wickets for 12 runs in 14 balls.
Latham was held by Dom Sibley at extra-cover, James Weighell and Liam Trevaskis holed out and Clark clipped Elliott to short fine leg.
The Jets’ dominance was reasserted by a ferocious stand of 75 in 33 balls between Collingwood (37 from 22 balls) and Smith (34 from 17).
Collingwood took the bulk of 27 from a de Grandhomme over which summed up the Bears’ bowling problems, with several balls failing to pitch.
Birmingham required 11 an over to win but were four for one after two overs, Pollock having lifted the first ball to long leg.
Ian Bell flicked Nathan Rimmington to short fine leg then Smith, having rested with figures of 1-1-0-1, returned to have Adam Hose caught at deep cover.
Hain kept his side afloat before a counter-attack was heralded by four successive sixes by De Grandhomme off spinner Imran Tahir.
Hain socked 29 from a Chris Rushworth over and the fourth-wicket pair added 100 in 50 balls to keep their side in the hunt with 52 needed from four overs.
However, Weighell returned to bowl the first of those and did so superbly, Hain and Elliott holing out from the first and last balls to leave 49 required from three.
That proved too many - Birmingham’s bowlers had given their batters too much to do.
Bears’ coach Jim Troughton said: “We showed again we have the power to score 200-plus with the bat - but our execution with the ball was a big issue.”