Eight teams were in action in the latest round of the ongoing Vitality Blast. Let us look at how it went for them.
Middlesex vs Gloucestershire
Middlesex 179/5 in 20 overs (Cracknell 67; Smith 1-13) beat Gloucestershire 157/5 in 18 overs (Cockbain 62*; Green 2-30) by 2 runs (DLS Method).
Joe Cracknell’s fifty, coupled with Eoin Morgan’s 22-ball 38, propelled Middlesex to a two-run victory over Gloucestershire by the DLS method. Middlesex posted 179/5 in 20 overs, but only 18 overs of the second innings were possible before rain halted proceedings.
Miles Hammond and Chris Dent got Gloucestershire off an explosive start. They added 45 in just over four overs before the latter fell to Steven Finn. Ian Cockbain remained unbeaten on 62, with Ryan Higgins on 20 off 14 balls. Had it not rained, they were en route to chasing the total down.
Durham vs Lancashire
Lancashire 151/6 in 20 overs (Livingstone 65; Potts 3-34) lost to Durham 153/4 in 17.4 overs (Bedingham 58; Parkinson 2-30) by 6 wickets with 14 balls to spare. Player of the Match: David Bedingham
Matty Potts claimed three wickets before David Bedingham and Graham Clark added 76 runs for the opening stand as Durham cruised past the 153-run target set by Lancashire with ease. Cameron Bancroft remained unbeaten on 29.
Earlier, Lancashire failed to capitalise on a solid start provided by their openers, Liam Livingstone and Finn Allen. Livingstone made 65 off 54 balls. Jos Buttler departed for a duck, while Steven Croft’s 25 helped Durham reach a respectable total.
Derbyshire vs Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire 141/8 in 20 overs (Ricardo Vasconcelos 38; Conor McKerr 2-23) lost to Derbyshire 143/5 in 18.2 overs (Leus du Plooy 48*; Wayne Parnell 1-15) by 5 wickets with 10 balls to spare.
A disciplined bowling performance restricted Northamptonshire to 141 before Leus du Plooy and Matthew Critchley combined 81 for the fourth wicket to guide Derbyshire to an easy victory.
Critchley made 44 in 34 balls, and later picked up two wickets. Du Plooy remained unbeaten on 48. Earlier, Northants got off a terrible start, losing both openers for ducks. Late surge from Mohammad Nabi, Tom Taylor and Graeme White propelled them to 141/8.
Sussex vs Surrey
No play was possible in the Vitality Blast 2021 fixture between Sussex and Surrey due to rain.