Surrey triumphed over Middlesex with a decisive 56-run victory in their recent clash at Lord's, propelled to the top of the South Group table in the Blast tournament.
The star of the match, Sean Abbott, delivered a stellar performance with the ball, claiming 5 wickets for 18 runs, including a sequence of successive dismissals that derailed Middlesex's chase of 186. Abbott's masterful blend of slower deliveries and pinpoint yorkers proved too much for Middlesex, who never truly threatened Surrey's total.
Despite Luke Hollman's impressive 5 for 16 for Middlesex, which included three wickets in a single over, Surrey managed to post a formidable score of 185 for 9. Key contributions came from Tom Curran, who scored a brisk 48 from 28 balls, and Laurie Evans, who added a rapid 41 off 20 deliveries.
Middlesex’s streak of home defeats in the Blast extended to 13 games, a record stretching back over two years. Their innings faltered early after Martin Andersson dropped Dom Sibley for nought, only for Sibley to fall lbw shortly after for 5 runs. However, the visitors gained momentum with Dan Lawrence and Laurie Evans dominating the remainder of the powerplay.
Evans was particularly aggressive, striking Henry Brookes over the boundary and following up with a powerful six over mid-on off Tom Helm. Lawrence, showcasing more classical strokes, added valuable runs through the covers and effective cuts.
The turning point came with Hollman's introduction. He ended Evans' charge by trapping him lbw with a sweep and soon after, Ollie Pope misjudged a shot to extra cover. Hollman’s third over was particularly devastating; Lawrence was caught at long-on, Rory Burns narrowly avoided a stumping, but was then dismissed by a googly, and Jamie Smith, who had a formidable strike rate of 210 this season, was caught lbw. This dramatic collapse saw Surrey slump to 106 for 6.
Yet, Curran's resilience shone through as he counter-attacked, hitting three sixes off Brookes, though he narrowly missed a half-century, being dismissed in the final over just shy of 50.
Middlesex’s pursuit began poorly with Andersson caught deep off Abbott, who then took out Stephen Eskinazi and Holden in consecutive deliveries, reducing Middlesex to 67 for two and then 88 for five by the end of the powerplay. The early dismissals put the required run rate over 10, and when Leus Du Plooy, recently recovered from illness, fell to Curran in the next over, Middlesex were in dire straits at 41 for 4.
Davies, who scored a gritty 35, briefly resisted by driving Abbott's hat-trick ball through mid-on for four. However, Ryan Higgins was soon dismissed lbw by Abbott, further deepening the hosts' woes.
Curran's spell was cut short after being struck on the arm, and though Hollman couldn't replicate his earlier bowling success with the bat, Davies succumbed as Abbott claimed his fifth wicket, sealing a comfortable win for Surrey.