T20 Blast: Birmingham Bears crush Yorkshire & Surrey go top of South Group
- Published
Yorkshire's 81 all out was the lowest T20 total ever posted against Birmingham Bears
Yorkshire were thrashed by 10 wickets at Birmingham Bears - with more than 11 overs to spare - as they dropped off the top of the T20 Blast North Group.
The Vikings were all out for 81, their lowest T20 score, as the hosts cruised to 86-0 to return to the top four.
Elsewhere, a strong bowling performance saw Surrey beat Hampshire by 20 runs to move into first place in South Group.
Northants also picked up a much-needed 30-run win over Durham to boost their hopes of reaching the knockout stages.
Brathwaite leads Bears charge
When Yorkshire won the toss, chose to bat and struck 14 runs from their first four balls at Edgbaston, you would have been forgiven for thinking they would set a big score to help them towards the competition-high seventh win of the season.
But things soon went wrong as the Bears' West Indies all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite removed openers Adam Lyth and Mark Stoneman, as well as Gary Ballance, as his figures of 3-7 from two overs left the Vikings 37-4 after the powerplay.
Harry Brook made 28 not out but only he and Lyth reached double figures, with Craig Miles also taking three wickets for the Bears as they skittled the visitors in 15.5 overs.
In reply it was no nonsense from Ed Pollock (33 not out) and Adam Hose (46 not out), who wasted no time to reach their target in 8.3 overs - Hose finishing the job in apt style with a six.
The Vikings drop to second going into their Roses match with Lancashire on Friday, with Notts Outlaws moving top of North Group without playing on run rate, while the Bears rise to third and into a qualification spot for the quarter-finals.
Overton & Atkinson inspire Surrey win
Surrey's Jamie Smith was the outstanding batsman on a night for the bowlers in Southampton
After being put into bat Surrey started well in Southampton, racing to 51-0 before Will Jacks was caught just before the end of the powerplay.
Fellow opener Jamie Smith pressed on to make 59 off 41 balls but a superb team bowling display from Hampshire - led by Scott Currie - then paid dividends as the visitors were restricted to 146-7, with Currie (3-21) and Brad Wheal (2-17) doing the damage.
Hampshire were arguably favourites at the midway point but they have won just one T20 game this summer and were not allowed to get going with the bat - a fantastic spell from Jamie Overton (2-14) and three wickets for Gus Atkinson allowing Surrey to defend their mediocre total.
England batsman Ollie Pope took a sublime catch on the leg side boundary to dismiss Joe Weatherley as the Hawks finished their innings on 126-8, meaning their opponents move above Kent to top the South Group - albeit having played a game more.
Stokes goes for duck in Durham defeat
At Northampton, Ben Curran made his maiden T20 half-century as part of an opening Northants partnership of 101 alongside Ricardo Vasconcelos (60).
Brother of England internationals Tom and Sam, Ben reached 62 but Durham fought back in the last five overs as Ben Stokes took two wickets in an over to help keep the home side down to 173-5 from their 20 overs.
However, the Steelbacks struck with the third ball of Durham's reply and the visitors were 5-3 after two overs as England star Stokes went for a fourth-ball duck after edging behind off the bowling of Tom Taylor.
Graeme White then took centre stage for Northants, finishing with 4-26 from his four overs as he became the county's leading wicket-taker in T20 cricket.
Sean Dickson (40) and Matty Potts (40 not out) batted well to make a game of it but Durham fell short on 143 all out and remain fourth in North Group, with Northants up to sixth.
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