Surrey recorded the fourth highest score in T20 Blast history after running up a massive 258 for six in their emphatic 124-run victory over Sussex at Hove.
Laurie Evans led the way with 93 off 51 balls and shared in a 157-run second-wicket stand with with Sam Curran, who clubbed 68 off 35 deliveries. Jamie Overton maintained the impetus with a rapid 24 before Tom Curran smashed three sixes and two fours in an nine-ball 29.
Sussex were never in a position to challenge despite Tom Clark’s 43 off 23 at the top of the order and they were bowled out in the 15th over as Surrey moved second behind Somerset in the South Group with their biggest T20 win.
The leaders, who hold the Blast record with their 265 for five last season, were similarly comfortable 80-run winners over neighbours Gloucestershire.
Opener Will Smeed struck eight sixes and eight fours in a 35-ball 94 to propel his side to 231 for four, which proved well beyond the reach of their hosts at Bristol.
Essex also enjoyed a convincing victory at Glamorgan after Paul Walter’s career-best 78 off 34 saw them post 226 for nine and despite the hosts’ top three all getting into the 40s they could not maintain the momentum.
Kent dented Hampshire’s hopes of keeping the pressure on the top two as they registered only their second victory of the summer as Daniel Bell-Drummond’s 89 off 55 saw them secure a six-wicket win with three balls to spare at Canterbury.
Ben McDermott (57) and Joe Weatherley (67) put on 85 in eight overs in Hampshire’s total of 177 for seven but Jack Leaning hit the third ball of the final over to the boundary for victory.
Shaheen Shah Afridi saw Notts Outlaws home against Derbyshire with a quick 14 off seven balls – including a towering six off Pakistan team-mate Zaman Khan – as they retained top spot in the North Group.
Chasing the hosts’ 142 for six, Notts looked comfortable at 123 for five in the 17th over but the loss of Steven Mullaney ramped up the pressure until Afridi stepped up.
The three-wicket win, their fourth in succession, left Derbyshire still looking for their first victory over their neighbours in this format since 2015.
Moeen Ali, who came out of retirement to rejoin England’s Test squad this week, and Dan Mousley bowled Birmingham Bears to victory over Northamptonshire Steelbacks with three wickets apiece.
Bears failed to complete their full allocation of overs as they were bowled out for 137 – Freddie Heldreich claiming four for 27 – but Northamptonshire were limited to 107 for nine in reply as Birmingham moved into second place.
That was because Worcestershire Rapids came up 26 short in their high-scoring game against Yorkshire, for whom James Wharton scored 111 not out off 56 balls and shared in a second-wicket stand of 159 with Dawid Malan (79) as the Vikings amassed 224 for four at Headingley.
Kashif Ali (48no) and Ben Cox (35) made a game of it with an 81-run stand for the fifth wicket but they could not get their side over the line, finishing on 198 for six as Jordan Thompson took four for 34.
Leicestershire’s second win of the season was not enough to lift them off the foot of the table as they beat Durham by six wickets courtesy of a 149-run second-wicket alliance between Rishi Patel (104 off 49 balls) and Lewis Hill (54 not out).
Australian Ashton Turner had accelerated Durham to 172 for four with a late unbeaten 60 but the Foxes won with 14 balls to spare.
Rahmarack stars with the ball as Windies Women defeat New South Wales by four wickets at Wilson Park
The West Indies Women got their tour of Australia off to a winning start with a four-wicket victory over a New South Wales (NSW) Women's team at Wilson Park.
Karishma Ramharack had the NSW ladies spun tightly in her web of off-spin and were restricted to posted 105-9 from their 20 overs. Ramharack finished with figures of 3-12. Captain Hayley Matthews supported with some wizardry of her own taking 2-7 from her two overs.
NSW skipper Sammy-Jo Johnson was the top-scorer with 28 with Hannah Darlington making 24.
Shemaine Campbelle led the West Indies Women's run-chase posting 33 from 34 deliveries which included five boundaries. Skipper Matthews was next best with 24 off 27. Aaliyah Alleyne 19 not out and Zaida James 15 not out took the visitors home to victory in 17.5 overs.
Head Coach Shane Deitz was pleased with the team's first outing since arriving in Australia four days ago.
“It's good to get the first win on tour. I think we've got a lot of areas we need to improve on, especially getting used to batting on these wickets with some extra pace and bounce. Overall, I think we played generally good all-round and it's going to put us in a good position to play on Sunday,” he said.
The ODI series against Australia is West Indies’ fourth fixture in the ICC Women’s Championship 2022-2025 after playing New Zealand, England and Ireland.
Each match provides West Indies with opportunity to win valuable points to climb the Championship table where they currently lie ninth of 10 teams.
Following the Australia Series, West Indies Women will play four three-match ODI series over the next two years. At the end of the cycle, the top five teams in the ICC Women’s Championship will book berths in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in 2025 along with hosts India.
The remaining teams will have to go through the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier.
Surrey retain County Championship title after Essex batting collapse
Surrey have retained their LV= Insurance County Championship title as Essex’s slim hopes ended after their batters collapsed in a heap against Northamptonshire.
A 20-point gap between the top two Division One teams heading into the final round meant Surrey needed just five points in their fixture against Hampshire to celebrate a 21st championship triumph.
They secured three bowling bonus points at the Ageas Bowl but none with the bat, which opened the door for Essex, who needed to amass a 400-plus score in 110 overs to have any chance of catching Surrey.
But Essex were unable to claim the maximum amount of batting bonus points as they capitulated to 211 all out on Thursday morning, with last man Jamie Porter bowled by Tom Taylor to crown Surrey champions.
Surrey, who have won the championship five times since the turn of the century, became the first side since Yorkshire in 2014 and 2015 to claim back-to-back titles.
Final decision on who hosts 2024 ICC World Cup final yet to be reached - CWI CEO Johnny Grave
Cricket West Indies (CWI) has moved to provide clarity on the ongoing process of venue selection for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup scheduled to take place in the Caribbean and USA in June 2024.
CWI acknowledges the enthusiasm and interest expressed by various governments, cricket boards, and stakeholders in hosting the highly anticipated tournament. However, there has been some confusion over how the process works, especially in light of recent developments wherein Barbados Cricket Association President Conde Riley claimed that Barbados has been selected to host the finals of the tournament next June.
Those claims have been debunked by CWI President Dr Kishore Shallow.
So, what is the actual truth?
CWI Chief Executive Officer Johnny Grave explained, stating, "Following a robust selection process of our seven host venues, CWI-appointed Venues Selection Committee, chaired by President Dr. Kishore Shallow, has made recommendations to the ICC on allocations of matches for ICC Men’s T20 World Cup scheduled to take place in the Caribbean and USA in June 2024."
Grave acknowledged the commendable efforts made by nations within the region; however, he emphasized that final decisions have yet to be reached.
"These recommendations are subject to venues confirming commitment to all required obligations and ICC approval,” explained.
“We are delighted by the enthusiasm and interest expressed by our host governments and cricket Boards and appreciate the hard work and commitment shown as we look to deliver a spectacular Men's T20 World Cup next year. We will now work with the ICC, our hosts and ICC Members to finalize the match schedule in the coming weeks."
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