T20 Blast: Moeen Ali shines, Surrey breaks records and Notts and Somerset win again
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Veteran spinner Moeen Ali took three wickets for just 16 runs for Birmingham Bears
Moeen Ali celebrated his impending England Test return in style, with three wickets as Birmingham Bears beat Northamptonshire Steelbacks, while a thrilling night of T20 Blast action saw victories for respective group leaders Notts and Somerset and a record-breaking win for Surrey over Sussex.
Moeen, back in the England fold for the Ashes, took centre stage as the Bears shrugged off a sub-standard score of 137 all out to restrict their opponents to just 107-9 and ease to a 30-run success and move up to second in the North Group.
Notts Outlaws remain top after a nervy three-wicket win over local rivals Derbyshire, while Yorkshire beat Worcestershire to go third and there was a rare victory for Leicestershire.
In the South Group, Somerset's formidable form continued, Will Smeed crashing the ball to all parts in a crushing 80-run triumph over Gloucestershire.
Surrey, who are second with six wins from eight games, were also in imperious batting form as they recorded 258-6 in thrashing Sussex Sharks, their highest total in the T20 Blast and the fourth best in competition's history.
Elsewhere, there were wins for Essex and Kent Spitfires.
The T20 Blast now takes a pause for seven days, with the County Championship resuming on Sunday, before the limited overs competition returns on Friday, 16 June.
Moeen spins Bears to victory over Steelbacks
Moeen Ali sent an early shot skywards and was out for just 12 off nine balls
Moeen celebrated his impending England Test return in style, taking 3-16 as Birmingham Bears defended what appeared to be a meagre 137 all out to beat Northamptonshire Steelbacks by 30 runs.
All-rounder Moeen, 35, was not alone in failing with the bat as Bears failed to bat their overs at Edgbaston, falling short by seven balls, with only Sam Hain (35) and Alex Davies (32) making reasonable contributions.
Moeen only scored 12 before mistiming a lofted drive which was safely pouched by Tom Taylor off the bowling of David Willey.
But the veteran spinner struck in his opening over, gaining his revenge by having Willey caught behind by Davies, and quickly following up with the wickets of Saif Zaib (25) and Lewis McManus as the visitors crumbled to 107-9 despite some spirited late resistance from Andrew Tye (28 not out).
Notts overcome scare to see off Falcons
There was no upsetting the formbook at The Incora County Ground where - despite a big wobble - North Group leaders Notts chased down Derbyshire's 142-6 to win by three wickets and make it 14 T20 wins from 15 unbeaten fixtures against their local rivals.
Derbyshire made a decent start with an opening stand of 44 between Luis Reece and Haider Ali, who top-scored with 42. But Notts piled on the pressure in the middle overs, principally through captain Steven Mullaney, who went for just 3.75 runs an over, and Jake Ball, who took 2-23 from his four overs.
Wayne Madsen managed a run-a-ball 26 to overtake James Vince and become the leading scorer in this summer's competition. However, the home side's total never seemed enough. And so it proved.
Notts swiped Mark Watt for 13 off the first over of their run chase which saw Joe Clarke smash the first six of his innings over long-on.
But Clarke (29) was the first of three wickets to fall for eight runs in 2.1 overs. Alex Hales top-scored with 35 on a tricky batting surface and some typically wily batting from Samit Patel (28) and Tom Moores (17 not out) helped Notts get over the line.
Patel shines as Foxes easily chase down Durham
Rishi Patel was the star of the show with a magnificent ton as the North Group's bottom side Leicestershire Foxes coasted to a six-wicket victory over Durham to record just their second win in eight matches.
Durham managed a more than respectable 172-4 at Grace Road, largely thanks to Ashton Turner's undefeated 60 off 38 balls.
But Patel's fearless 104 in partnership with Lewis Hill (54 off 41 balls) ensured the Foxes cantered home, reaching 174-4 with 14 balls to spare.
Wharton-inspired Vikings make it five from five
James Wharton finished unbeaten on 111 from just 56 balls as the North Group's real form team Yorkshire saw off second-placed Worcestershire by 26 runs to make it five successive wins and move up to third place.
Wharton arrived at the crease in the second over of just his fourth T20 game - and second this season. But his previous best score of 26 was soon a distant memory as he crashed 16 fours and three maximums to anchor his side's 224-4.
A second-wicket partnership of 159 - Yorkshire's highest for any wicket in a T20 match - with England one-day batter Dawid Malan (79 from 48) proved decisive, and although Malan was caught at deep extra cover attempting another big hit, the damage was done.
Kashif Ali (48 not out) and captain Brett D'Oliveira (47) both impressed with strike rates in excess of 150 to give hope but Jordan Thompson excelled, taking 4-34 as Worcestershire fell well short of their target.
Record-breaking Surrey dismantle Sussex
Laurie Evans set Surrey on their way to a huge total, scoring 93 at a strike rate of just over 182
A rampant Surrey side ensured a frantic night for the stats keepers at Hove with a formidable total of 258-6 against Sussex. It was Surrey's record score in T20 cricket and the fourth ever highest total in the T20 Blast.
Opener Laurie Evans set the tone with 93 off 51 balls.
And there was no let-up for the hosts as Sam Curran (68) struck at almost two runs a ball, his brother Tom carving 29 from just nine deliveries and Jamie Overton managing 24 from 11 balls as they surpassed the 250-6 they hit against Kent at Canterbury in 2018.
Sharks, who started in seventh spot with just two wins from seven and dwindling hopes of reaching the quarter-finals, started well enough, Tom Clark making 43 at the top of the innings as they reached 59-1 after 5.2 overs.
But Clark was stumped by Jamie Smith off Will Jacks - one of the men overlooked by England for the Ashes - to spark a collapse which saw nine Sussex wickets fall for just 75 runs as they were all out for 134 with 31 balls remaining to lose by 124 runs.
Highest T20 Blast scores
Somerset 265-5 v Derbyshire at Taunton, 2022
Birmingham 261-2 v Notts at Trent Bridge, 2022
Yorkshire 260-4 v Northants at Headingley, 2017
Surrey 258-6 v Sussex at Hove, 2023
Essex easily defend daunting total
A crucial tussle in Cardiff saw fifth-placed Essex set fourth-placed Glamorgan a daunting target of 227 for victory before bowling out their hosts for 175 for a resounding 51-run victory.
Paul Walter led the way for the visitors, hitting six sixes and six fours in top-scoring with 78 from just 34 balls. Ruaidhri Smith was the pick of the bowlers, taking 3-33 but there was almost no respite as Michael Pepper, Daniel Sams and Robin Das all scored at a frantic pace.
In reply, Kiran Carlson, Sam Northeast and Colin Ingram all recorded scores of 40 or more, but when Ingram was caught by Matt Critchley off the bowling of Shane Snater the innings fell apart.
Walter backed his fine knock with two wickets in two balls on the way to figures of 2-19, while Sams and Critchley also weighed in with a couple of wickets apiece as Glamorgan lost eight wickets for 34 in slipping from 141-2 to 175 all out.
Smeed sets tone in one-sided Somerset win
Will Smeed has now hit half-centuries in his past two T20 Blast innings
Will Smeed was in majestic form as South Group leaders Somerset posted a mammoth total of 231-4 in the West Country derby.
Smeed bludgeoned 94 off 35 balls, departing a ball after crashing his eighth six back over the bowler's head. At that stage Somerset were 122-1 after 10 overs.
But Tom Kohler-Cadmore (30), Lewis Gregory and Sean Dickson (30 and 28 not out respectively) carried on the carnage, which included 23 off the final over bowled by Danny Lamb, who finished with 0-53 in just three overs.
Gloucestershire made a decent fist in the early stages of their reply, opener Miles Hammond making 61 from 34 balls and sharing a rapid 75-run partnership with Ben Charlesworth (41).
Josh Davey took two wickets in two balls to curtail the excitement, and realistic hopes of a staggering run chase quickly evaporated as Gloucestershire went from 123-3 to 151 all out.
Spitfires curtail Hampshire resurgence
Defending T20 Blast champions Hampshire had recovered from a slow start to win four consecutive games but they succumbed to a perfectly timed run chase by Kent as the Spitfires earned a six-wicket win at Canterbury.
James Vince failed for once - bowled first ball by Fred Klaassen - but half-centuries by Ben McDermott and Joe Weatherley got Hampshire to 177-7 from their 20 overs.
Daniel Bell-Drummond led the way for the hosts in reply, hitting seven fours and four sixes in his 89.
And a fine supporting knock from former England batter Joe Denly (41) saw the Spitfires reach 180-4 to win with three balls to spare.