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Hampshire 114-9 (20 overs)
Glamorgan 115-3 (19.2 overs)
Glamorgan won by 7 wickets
The heavy dark clouds cleared over the Swalec Stadium just in time for the start of this evening’s game, and in beautiful sunshine Glamorgan comfortably defeated Hampshire, for their second T20 win in their opening two games. Although they had won so impressively on Friday against Gloucestershire in front of a record attendance, this midweek fixture was played before a markedly smaller crowd. Glamorgan played an unchanged eleven for this game against Hampshire, whose captain Dominic Cork won the toss and elected to bat first.
Once again Robert Croft opened the bowling for the home side against Michael Lumb,hero of England’s recent World T20 campaign. The second delivery span sharply past Lumb’s bat, a portent of things to come, and with 3 spinners in their side, Glamorgan must have felt encouraged. Croft’s 5th ball spun identically past Lumb’s bat, before he was clean bowled by a beautiful final delivery of the first over.
Jamie Dalrymple surprisingly took the ball at the other end, and Adams was almost caught at mid-on by Harris before throwing his wicket away immediately, attempting a suicidal run. Hampshire had made a dreadful start at 9-2 from the first 2 overs.
As he had in the previous game, Dalrymple sought to ring the bowling changes, not letting the visiting batsmen settle against any one of his bowlers. Thus overseas star Shaun Tait, fastest bowler in the world, bowled the 3rd over. The batsmen found it difficult to get a bat on deliveries bowled in excess of 90mph, although a streaky 4 from the final ball showed just how fast the ball can disappear from the bat when bowled at high pace.
Croft returned for the 4th over, and trapped Ervine LBW, leaving Hampshire still deeper in trouble at 18-3. South African international Neil McKenzie was next man in, his curious obsessive-compulsive disorder – scratching about between deliveries – slowing the game down quite noticeably.
Most unusually, Cosker was the 3rd Glamorgan spin bowler employed in the power play, bowling a beautiful tight line and giving little away. James Harris was the 5th bowler used by Dalrymple in the first 6 overs, and he bowled his fast medium with a good line and length, leaving Hampshire in trouble on a meagre 27-3 at the end of the power play.
Crafty Croft was taking great care in setting his field, and bowled another excellent miserly over, before Dalrymple returned and bowled McKenzie, just as the visitors looked as if they might be staging a recovery. At the halfway stage Hampshire were 54-4, and their innings was in a critical state.
England batsman Michael Carberry played and missed 5 successive deliveries from Tait in the following over, ruining the maiden only with a lucky edge to third man for a single from the last ball. Every Glamorgan bowler had looked impressive up till now, and Hampshire – traditionally a strong batting side – seemed curiously unable to deal with either pace or spin.
Christian was then well caught by Cosker on the midwicket boundary off Dalrymple, leaving Hampshire 65-5. Experienced and potentially explosive Pakistani star Abdul Razzaq was next man in to join Carberry at the wicket. Croft then bowled a very fine final over, conceding just 3 runs, giving this masterful performer overall figures of 2-16. Dalrymple then finished his own, almost equally impressive spell with 2-26.
Razzaq struck a powerful boundary to cow corner, but Hampshire were still struggling against every Glamorgan bowler, and must have felt frankly dismayed to see fast man Tait return for the death overs at a time where they badly needed to score runs and could not afford to lose further wickets. Only 3 runs came from Tait’s superb over, and in the next, seeing the return of Allenby to the attack, Carberry gave a catch to Dalrymple after making the top score for his team of 34. Dominic Cork strode in to replace him with his side deeply in trouble. The crisis was exacerbated when Razzaq was caught by Cosker on the long on boundary for 11 runs, a dangerous weapon having thus failed to fire for Hampshire. Pothas then safely defended the hat-trick ball.
Perhaps curiously, as Tait and Allenby were bowling so well, Cosker returned to bowl the penultimate over. The 3 Glamorgan spin bowlers, all 3 of whom had worn shades in the brilliant sunshine, were thus each to complete their 4 over spells. Cork now smashed a 6 to long off, although it only barely cleared Rees on the boundary rope. He was almost caught again, hitting another lofted boundary between 2 fielders, before Cosker clean bowled him for 15, swinging wildly at the next ball. Cosker’s figures were slightly damaged, but his 1-29 was still a commendable return.
Tait returned to bowl the final over of the innings, to great cheers from the home supporters who have quickly warmed to him. Hampshire were now scrambling desperately for runs, and Wood was run out by Cosgrove, and they finished their innings on a frankly poor 114-9, Tait’s 4 overs had cost only 18 runs, and Allenby had also taken 2-18 from his 3 overs bowled.
It now remained to be seen how Glamorgan would perform with the bat on this pitch, and also how they would bat under floodlights, with the possibility of dew also having an effect on the final outcome.
Unlike the home team who had used their 3-pronged spin attack early on, Hampshire opened with pace at both ends, with Razzaq and Wood charging in at Allenby and Cosgrove. The Glamorgan innings opened cautiously, although Allenby struck one of his crushing trademark cover drives for 4 runs off Wood, and Glamorgan eased to 25 from the first 4 overs, so far showing none of the problems Hampshire had had against the home bowlers. Cork’s first 2 changes saw the continuation of his seam attack, with himself and Ervine taking over from the opening pair as the sun set and the floodlights began to take over, this transitional period is generally said to be the most difficult time for batsmen. And perhaps this transition was indeed having an effect, as Ervine took the wicket of crowd favourite Mark Cosgrove for just 15, but at the end of the power play Glamorgan were well placed on 41-1.
Allenby was progressing nicely again after his match-winning half century in the previous game, and Glamorgan were playing sensibly and steadily, recognising that they need not take any risks when chasing such an unchallenging target. The visitors finally introduced Briggs, their only spinner, into the attack in the 9th over when Glamorgan had just passed 50 for the loss of only one wicket. The wicket which had looked so much of a minefield when the visitors had batted, now looked very easy indeed and Glamorgan were untroubled.
It was nice to see perennially injured ex-Glamorgan and England star bowler Simon Jones, now parked on the Hampshire treatment table, sitting with Croft and the Welsh boys in the home dugout. The local seagulls were also seen swooping to gorge themselves on moths and other creatures attracted by the powerful Swalec Stadium floodlights.
Allenby struck another of his favourite off drives for 4 off Briggs before a wonderful one-handed catch at backward point by Christian off the same bowler – the best moment of the game – removed Dalrymple for 14, and Glamorgan were now 71-2. Allenby was however still looking most assured at the crease, as in spite of this loss Glamorgan looked to be cruising towards victory. Maynard hit a couple of nice boundaries, and had just reached double figures when he was caught at long off, again from Briggs’s left arm spin. Briggs finished with an excellent 2-26, and Glamorgan were still unruffled at 89-3.
Gareth Rees is perhaps Glamorgan’s specialist finisher these days, and he now joined Allenby who was approaching a second successive half century. Razzaq, returning for the death, bowled an excellent tight over, conceding only 1 run, but Glamorgan still required only 22 from the last 4 overs, a relatively easy task. In the next over, Rees who looked edgy was dropped giving a difficult chance to long off.
Cork looked angry and determined as he returned to the attack. Rees’s attempts at improvisation were proving mainly unsuccessful and looking slightly ridiculous. When it looked as though it would make more sense just to push singles and give the on-form Allenby the strike, he was wafting at and missing most deliveries he faced, although he did retrieve the situation slightly by lofting a “Dilshan” over the wicketkeeper’s head for 4 runs – and then totally missing the next 2 balls he faced.
A streaky shot from Allenby got him to another excellent 50, but at the other end Rees was continuing to play silly shots that at this stage were simply not required. He seemed unable to adapt his game as the situation demanded, and was playing as if Glamorgan needed urgent runs which was far from the case. Again, he completely missed with a succession of unhinged improvisations, and it looked as if he alone was giving Hampshire the possibility of unexpectedly gaining something from the match, despite them having been totally outplayed throughout by the home team.
Thus Hampshire were delighted, and the home supporters correspondingly dismayed, when Allenby hit only a single from the first ball of the final over, leaving the erratic Rees to face the final 5 deliveries with 4 runs still required and the chances of Rees connecting with the ball frankly less than good. However, all the amateur pundits were confounded and the home fans delighted when he struck an uncharacteristically emphatic 4 through the covers off the first ball he faced that over, to win the game for Glamorgan by 7 wickets and with 4 balls still remaining. Allenby had made a fine 52 not out and was again man of the match.
Glamorgan’s bowling, as on Friday, was their match-winning suit in this game. Tait, Harris and Allenby, together with the 3 spinners, make for a strong attack on all surfaces. The batting too looks more than adequate, although it is still not entirely solid. In contrast to Friday’s shoddy performance in the field, tonight Glamorgan fielded quite brilliantly at times and were solid throughout.
Played 2, won 2 – the first win comfortable, the second a bit of a cakewalk until rash Rees came to the wicket – there are grounds for optimism this season in the T20 as well as in the “proper” cricket where Glamorgan are currently top of Division 2 in the Championship. This could just be the best season for Glamorgan supporters for a number of years.
