Glos make it 5 in a row with 6 wicket win over Surrey
6 July 2016
Gloucestershire extended their lead at the top of the NatWest T20 Blast South Group as Surrey’s big guns failed to fire at the Brightside Ground, Bristol.
Michael Klinger’s men move four points clear of nearest rivals Glamorgan with a six wicket win – their fifth victory in a row.
Ian Cockbain hit an unbeaten 73 to guide his side to their target of 152 with an over to spare after Andrew Tye had earlier taken a Glos career-best 3-16.
To watch Ian Cockbain's post-match interview click below:
With the home side having lost the toss Matt Taylor (3-31)– continued his excellent recent record in his opening over, going for just three against Surrey hitters Jason Roy and Aaron Finch.
Roy (11) struck two fours in Liam Norwell’s first over but fell in the next after miscuing a pull off Taylor to Howell at midwicket to make it 12-1.
Australian T20 captain Finch opened his boundary count with a flay over point in the same over before striking two more fours through straight midwicket off Norwell’s second.
But tidy overs from AJ Tye and Benny Howell slowed the visitors’ momentum, leaving them on 36-1 after the power play.
Dominic Sibley struck the first six of the game, launching Tom Smith over long off in the seventh over but it didn’t prove the catalyst the away fans might have been hoping for.
Instead it was Glos who seized the initiative as a slower ball from Tye was skied by Finch to Howell at long off. The world’s top-ranked T20 batsman went for 31 to make it 65-2.
The home side struck again soon after as new man Rory Burns was trapped LBW by Kieran Noema-Barnett in the 11th over with the score on 70.
South African allrounder Chris Morris cut Howell for four at the start of the next over but it was to be the last boundary for a while.
In the 14th over Tye had Sibley (32) caught by Smith at deep backward square leg and saw a glove by Morris down the leg side dropped by a diving Gareth Roderick next ball.
But the most expensive player at this year’s IPL auction only added two more to his score before top edging a sweep from Smith to Norwell at short fine leg. He went for 15, the score 98-5.
Taylor returned for the 17th over and was promptly hit for successive fours by Tom Curran (16) – the first boundaries since over 12. But the left arm seamer had his revenge thanks to a brilliant diving catch from Roderick to make it 119-6.
Sam Curran looked like being the man to provide some late acceleration to the Surrey innings with an impish reverse sweep for six off Howell.
But he fell in the last over, run out for 20 by Roderick as he attempted to steal a single from the non-striker’s end.
In a near repeat of his dismissal at the end of the Royal London One-Day Cup final last September Surrey skipper Gareth Batty picked out the man on the square leg fence first ball to give Tye his third wicket.
A tight finish to his final over restricted Surrey to 151-9 and brought Tye his best Glos return of 3-16.
Marshall (8) got Glos off to a scorching reply with boundaries off the first two balls. But after a no ball, he fell – caught at midwicket by T Curran off his brother to make it 10-1.
Cockbain led the recovery pulling Morris for four and hoisting Jade Dernbach for six in the former England man’s first over since the Lord’s final.
Batting with Klinger (9), the pair put on 39 for the second wicket before the Glos skipper fell to an unbelievable catch from his fellow countryman Finch.
The ball seemed to be over him at mid-on but he leapt acrobatically to pull off a stunning one-handed diving catch off the bowling off Tom Curran.
But with Cockbain looking in great touch and Surrey sloppy in the field, the wicket failed to halt the home side’s momentum.
Running well between the wickets and punishing the bad ball, Chris Dent and Cockbain made increasingly light work of the run chase.
Cockbain brought his 50 up in the 11th over (32 balls, five fours, one six).
Dent started to get a move on with things in the 15th over, bowled by S Curran. First he flicked a six to midwicket that was dropped and fell agonisingly over the line. He followed it up with a sweetly-timed four down the ground.
The lefthander was stumped off Batty for 39 (29 balls) in the next over, with his side still needing another 25 to win.
Howell - who was dropped by Dernbach in the previous over – made 13 before falling in the penultimate one to a Morris yorker.
But Cockbain stayed calm and secured the win with a quick single with six balls remaining.
He finished on 73 not out – his highest T20 score of the season – and was named man of the match.
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