More Carberry Fireworks See Champions to Opening Win
Jun 25 2013
Carberry struck 60 off 45 balls, including eight fours and one six
Hampshire Royals v Surrey
Friends Life T20
Wednesday 26th June
The Ageas Bowl
Summary: Hampshire beat Surrey by five wickets
with four balls remaining
Surrey: 139-6
Hampshire Royals: 140-5 (19.2 ovs)
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Hampshire Team
Carberry, Vince, Adams, McKenzie*, Ervine, Dawson, Wheater+, Tanvir, Wood, Briggs, Griffiths
Surrey Team
Roy, Burns, Solanki, Maxwell, Wilson+, Azhar Mahmood, Ansari, de Bruyn, Tremlett, Batty*, Dunn
There can be little doubt that, in Limited Overs cricket especially, Michael Carberry has been THE stand-out batsman in the country this season. In the space of a week he’s been honoured by the chief sponsor of the Yorkshire Bank 40 competition (winning Moment of the Month for his 150 v Lancashire) as well as by the Hampshire fans (winning the Carling Fans’ Player of the Month Award for April / May). Now, he can add to that list of accolades guiding his team to a comfortable opening Friends Life T20 victory over the much fancied Surrey at The Ageas Bowl.
Beautifully supported by Neil McKenzie (37*) he put in the hard yards to help his side chase down 140 with five wickets in hand and four balls remaining.
The visitors’ Zander de Bruyn would give the reigning Champions a little bit of scare late on with a blistering spell of 3-14 off three overs but the result was never in doubt.
The Royals take the two points and, with one match only played in the tournament, top the South Group.
Surrey elected to bat first having won the toss and the opening six over powerplay went largely to plan, save for the wicket of Jason Roy (11). He was bowled by David Griffiths (2-23) – back into the attack in the absence of Dimitri Mascarenhas; the captain yet to recover from a back spasm suffered against Durham in the weekend’s YB40 clash.
But the wheels started to come off in the ninth over when Danny Briggs (2-20) – in only his second over in the attack – clean bowled both Vikram Solanki (15) and Rory Burns (27). Briggs had only been allowed back into the squad at the last minute after he wasn’t used in England’s first T20 International against New Zealand at The Kia Oval and Surrey must have been wishing the Isle of Wight left-armer had had more of a role to play on their home ground!
At the half-way stage in their innings, the visitors were 71-3. However, they had at the crease Glenn Maxwell (15) who, in the yellow of the Royals, practically single-handedly won at least two matches for the hosts last season. How important, then, that in the 13th over Griffiths returned to the attack to lure the Australian into miscuing a shot to McKenzie at backward point?
The wicket, and that of Azhar Mahmood (2), meant the visitors’ fluency was stifled and, though Gary Wilson (29) and Zafar Ansari (25*) would put on a 49-run partnership to all-but see the innings out, Surrey’s total of 139 never looked like being quite enough.
In trying to protect it, the visitors entrusted their first two overs to former Hampshire players, Maxwell (0-13 off 2 overs) and Chris Tremlett (0-27 off 3.2)... but Carberry wasn’t in the mood for warm welcomes and deposited both men to the boundary ropes in quick succession. He wasn’t being picky, though... just ruthless, and it wasn’t long before Matt Dunn (0-21 off 2), bowling at 90 mph, was given the same treatment by both Carberry and number three, Jimmy Adams (17); the Royals 43-1 after the opening six over powerplay (vs Surrey’s 45-1 at the same stage).
However, it wasn’t until McKenzie [pictured, right, with Adam Wheater] joined the opener at the crease that the Royals really started to show why they’re defending Champions. The South African revealed his class with a beautiful reverse sweep to the ropes to see the Royals to 76-2 at the halfway stage and, shortly after, Carbs brought up a majestic 50 (40 balls, six 4s, one 6) with a straight-driven four off Ansari (0-23 off 3).
The over in which the landmark was brought up eventually yielded 15 runs, at the end of which Hampshire were down to a run-a-ball needed (42 off 42) on 98-2 (13 ovs). The pressure largely off, the Royals started playing with freedom and even when Carberry left, trapped lbw by Zander de Bruyn, McKenzie simply continued where he’d left off, gently chipping a six through square leg.
De Bruyn would claim his other two wickets before the close but he couldn’t stop the inevitable as Adam Wheater (8*) struck a six in the final over to see his side across the line.
The Royals go on to play Essex at “fortress Chelmsford” on Friday night in their next fixture. If Carberry repeats his performances from here – and the YB40 fixture at the Essex County Ground earlier in the season, come to that – Hampshire should be just fine!
Background
As well as being the current champions, the Royals would have taken great confidence from the fact they’d won their last five home twenty20 matches against Surrey, the last two victories both being by seven wicket margins.
Michael Carberry, who had been in outstanding form for the Royals with over 400 runs in the 40-over format already, represented the main threat for the home side.
Traditionally, Surrey are one of the strongest teams in the competition having won the twenty20 title in its first year in the county game. However after finishing bottom of the South Group in 2012, they would have been eager to improve a great deal in 2013.
Words: Simon Vincent
Images: LMI Photography