Cricket News T20 Vitality Blast: Review of South Group Eagles Sussex and Spitfires

Skipper James Vince gave Hampshire a steady start but couldn't find assistance from the other end as wickets kept falling while he reached 30 off 20 balls. Joe Weatherley added 29 off 25, coming at fourth, whereas an unbeaten score of 39 from James Fuller surged the total to 151 at a loss of 7 wickets for Hampshire.

Surrey got a steady start from Jamie Smith (25) and Laurie Evans (29), but it looked like Surrey's first defeat was coming in the way. Most batters started but failed to convert it into a valuable knock. Kieron Pollard's 34 off 22, consisting of 3 boundaries and two sixes, gave spark to the chase game. Further, Rory Burns's unbeaten 21 off 24 sealed the win for Surrey, alongside Chris Jordan's unbeaten 10

Essex Eagles vs Somerset

Somerset's key batter Rilee Rossouw hammered his highest score of 36-ball 85 of the season to help his team grab an eight-wicket win over Essex Eagles.

Essex Eagles batting first did everything well as they put up a massive total of 188/5 in 20 overs. Though they got off to a patchy start, Michael Pepper remained unbeaten, scoring 86 off 49, consisting of 10 boundaries and three maximums. Also, Paul Walter added 58 off 29 as bowlers failed to make inroads after early strikes.

In reply opening pair of Will Smeed and Tom Banton scored 22 and 17 runs, respectively. Following this, Rilee Rossouw and Tom Abell stitched an unbeaten partnership of 153 runs off just 80 balls, taking Somerset towards a clinical eight wicket-win in 17.3 overs. With this win, Somerset climbed to the second spot, whereas Essex Eagles are just one place below, on third. Rilee Rossouw is now the T20 Blast's highest run-scorer this season, with 437 runs in 9 matches.

Glamorgan vs Sussex

A half-century from Colin Ingram helped Glamorgan grab a four-wicket win over Sussex despite Tymal Mills' effort of 3-30.

Sussex posted a total of 149/8 to chase for Glamorgan as Luke Wright fetched 46 off 35 as the highest run-scorer for the team. Tom Alsop and Delray Rawlins added 34 and 37 runs, respectively, as the rest of the batting line-up failed to stand Michael Neser and Andrew Salter, who shared five crucial wickets.

Glamorgan chased down the total to return to winning ways in Cardiff. Sam Northeast (35) and Colin Ingram (57) led the chase to help them pick up their fifth win in the season. Rashid Khan, who was playing his first game for Sussex this season, went wicketless. However, four wickets in the space of 2 overs gave hope for a revival of Sussex's innings, but Dan Douthwaite held the nerve to score 18 off ten and seal the win in the penultimate over.

Middlesex vs Kent Spitfires

Middlesex broke their six-match losing streak by defeating Kent Spitfires by seven wickets and 17 balls to spare.

Kent Spitfires posted a target of 142 runs as Middlesex bowlers struck wickets at regular intervals. Tom Helm, Martin Andersson, and Chris Green returned with two wickets each, whereas Jason Behrendorff, Luke Hollman, and Thilam Walallawita, too, scalped a wicket each.

In reply, John Simpson and Joe Cracknell were instrumental in their victory with a 91-run stand in a chase of 142. The third-wicket partnership forced Kent Spitfires to their eighth loss, pushing the defending champions to the bottom of the table.