T20 Blast: Stevie Eskinazi's unbeaten 91 lifts Middlesex off bottom
- Published
Stevie Eskinazi hit 15 fours and a six in his unbeaten 56-ball innings of 91
A superb 91 not out from opener Stevie Eskinazi helped Middlesex cruise to a seven-wicket win over Glamorgan and move off the bottom of the South group.
Glamorgan recovered from 76-6 to post 170-8 but Eskinazi's excellence saw the hosts claim a second win of the season.
Worcestershire boosted their quarter-final hopes as they chased down Leicestershire's score of 156-7.
Rain meant that the Sussex v Surrey game fell one ball short of a result being declared.
Eskinazi lifts Middlesex off the bottom
Middlesex ended a run of four straight defeats as a second win of the campaign lifted them off the bottom of South group and within two points of fellow strugglers Glamorgan.
The Welsh side were without Nick Selman after a positive coronavirus test, and Australian internationals Marnus Labuschagne and Michael Neser, deemed possible close contacts, and collapsed to 76-6 at Radlett.
But Dan Douthwaite smashed four sixes in a career-high knock of 53, while James Weighell (51) cracked a 25-ball 50 as the pair added 88 off 47 balls - including 23 off Steven Finn's final over - to drive Glamorgan to a defendable total of 170-8.
Eskinazi quickly got Middlesex ahead of the rate in the chase, plundering 10 fours to reach 50 in just 26 balls, sharing 55 with opening partner Joe Cracknell and then 68 with Nick Gubbins (24).
Daryl Mitchell then flayed three sixes in a 13-ball 32 to leave Eskinazi just shy of his second T20 century as Middlesex cruised home with 14 balls to spare.
Rain brings more frustration at Hove
Jamie Smith brought up his first T20 half-century off 40 balls
Chris Jordan returned from England duty to bolster the Sussex Sharks line-up, but appeared to pick up an injury attempting a run-out and was subbed off midway through the Surrey innings having bowled just one over.
Jamie Smith (57) anchored the Surrey knock with his first T20 half-century and Jamie Overton added a rapid 28, including three sixes, while Tymal Mills took 3-21 as the visitors posted 175-7.
In gathering gloom as the rain returned, Phil Salt and Luke Wright were both struck on the helmet, persuading the umpires to halt the game for a second time after 4.5 overs, one ball before a result could be declared.
Sharks skipper Wright protested with the umpires as they left the field at 43-1, ahead on the Duckworth Lewis Method, but the game was abandoned as heavy rain prevented any further play - the third home match of five at Hove to be rained off this season.
The one point per side kept Surrey in third place in the South Group, and Sussex fourth.
Rapids in the hunt after Foxes win
Brett D'Oliveira's half century was his third of the T20 Blast campaign
The Foxes slumped from 34 without loss to 59-5 as Dillon Pennington (2-20) took the wickets of openers Josh Inglis and Scott Steel in the fourth over.
Skipper Colin Ackermann made just two before he was clean-bowled by Charlie Morris and Aaron Lilley was then caught off the bowling of Ish Sodhi having made six.
They were right up against it when Rishi Patel went for 14 to leave them at 59-5 in the 12th over, but Lewis Hill hit an excellent 59, including four sixes, and Louis Kimber made 23 to add 60 for the sixth wicket and drag them to 156-7.
Rapids openers Riki Wessels (46) and Brett D'Oliveira (69) gave the hosts a great platform and they rarely looked in much danger of failing to secure a fourth win of the campaign.
Wessels was caught by Aaron Lilley off Callum Parkinson who then caught Jake Libby (11) off Naveen-ul-Haq's bowling.
D'Oliveira's excellent innings, which included eight boundaries, came to an end in the 17th over, but Ben Cox (11) and Ross Whiteley (6) got them over the line with five balls to spare.