It’s all about the timing as Finn and Tim hit form
SOUTH ROUND-UP
MIDDLESEX captain Eoin Morgan is adamant his bowlers are rounding into top form at just the right time after Steven Finn and Tim Southee tore through Gloucestershire for a 61-run victory in the T20 Blast on Tuesday night.
Finn’s figures of 4-24 and Southee’s 3-9 dismissed their opponents for just 100, after Middlesex had posted 161-5.
Paul Stirling (44) and Stevie Eskinazi (47) led the way with the bat and even a duck for skipper Morgan was unable to disrupt the home side’s rhythm.
Gloucestershire fell to 25-5 and although Benny Howell and Jack Taylor helped the visitors recover to 89-5, Finn and Southee took two further wickets each as Middlesex put themselves right in the running to qualify from the South Group.
“Our bowling performance was the best of the tournament so far,” explained Morgan after the win.
“You don’t want to peak too early in this competition. We’ll take this confidence to Cardiff on Friday for a crucial match.”
Elsewhere, Marchant de Lange dragged Glamorgan into the quarter-finals in a one-run victory over Somerset.
Johann Myburgh’s powerful 87 from 51 balls meant Somerset needed just 22 from the final three overs, but de Lange ran out Jim Allenby and clean bowled Myburgh as the momentum swung back towards Glamorgan.
And the South African then restricted Somerset to just six off the final over to see his side through.
“I’m still shaking. With four overs to go we were dead and buried,” Glamorgan coach Robert Croft said.
“We know Marchant de Lange is a match-winner. He had copped a few in his early overs, but at the end he showed great character and it was good captaincy to keep him back for that time.”
On Sunday, Essex beat Gloucestershire by three wickets to keep alive their hopes of qualifying for the knockout stage.
Varun Chopra hit 44 from just 20 balls to help the Eagles reach their target of 122 in just 16.2 overs, after Jamie Porter’s 4-20 had restricted Glos to 121-8.
Two days prior, Gloucestershire had fallen to another defeat, despite Sussex wobbling in their pursuit of 138.
The Sharks had slumped to 58-4, but an unbeaten stand of 56 between David Wiese and Laurie Evans was enough for a fivewicket win.
Sussex followed that victory with a 17-run loss to Surrey however, as Aaron Finch hit an unbeaten 114, while Kent notched a defeat and a victory in the space of 24 hours – Adam Milne’s best figures for the county of 5-11 inspiring a six-wicket triumph over Somerset but going down by the same margin to Hampshire.