SAM MOAKES identifies the star performers from the last week of the T20 Blast regular season
Adam Rossington (Essex Eagles)
The opener was a big part of both Essex wins this week, his 95 taking the game away from Sussex before they knew it, including 14 runs in three balls against youngster Archie Lenham. Rossington then complimented this performance with a quickfire 45 against Glamorgan, on route to the highest team score in the competition so far. The wicket-keeper batsman now has 292 runs at a strike rate of 150.51 this year and will be key as the Eagles look to repeat their 2019 triumph.
Will Smeed (Somerset)
The 20-year-old continues to shine for Somerset, adding to his string of 90-something scores in T20 cricket. He may have failed with the bat against Middlesex, but Smeed’s match-winning 98 against Surrey ensured his side would have a home-quarter final against Derbyshire in the knockouts. Smeed’s partnership with captain Tom Abell totalled 165, the third-highest in this year’s competition.
Sam Northeast (Glamorgan)
It’s not often you score an unbeaten 97 and end up on the losing side, but that’s exactly what happened to the Glamorgan captain this week. Set a near-impossible target of 255 by Essex, Northeast blasted his highest score of the competition this year from just 56 deliveries, to ensure his side went down fighting. He ended his tournament with 33 in a winning cause against Kent, finishing up the group stages as the sixth-highest run scorer with 510 runs at 51.00.
It was a bittersweet week for Colin Ackermann (David Rogers/Getty Images)
Wayne Madsen (Derbyshire Falcons)
You just can’t keep this man down at the moment. After a string of scores in June and 176 in the LV= Insurance County Championship last week, Madsen showed his class once again with an unbeaten century in the Blast. The 38-year-old scored his ton at a strike rate of 212.76, helping Derbyshire to complete their highest T20 run chase when set a target of 194 by Durham. Madsen is one of 10 centurions in the Blast this year.
Colin Ackermann (Leicestershire Foxes)
Scoring big runs, taking wickets and captaining his side to wins, Colin Ackermann has done it all this past week. The veteran scored a blistering 85 from 44 deliveries against Northants, also taking the wicket of half-centurion Josh Cobb on route to a dramatic one-run win over Northants. He followed up this performance with another match-winning knock of 72 not out, taking 2 for 21 from his four overs. Ackermann’s showings this week should have put Leicestershire into the quarter finals, were it not for a points deduction.
Dan Mousley (Birmingham Bears)
While other batters may have scored more runs this week, youngster Dan Mousley’s impressive strike rate earns him a place in this team. The 20-year-old scored his career-T20-high 63 runs against Yorkshire from just 25 deliveries, including a final over of 20 runs. He also took the crucial wicket of Dawid Malan, going at just seven runs an over in the process. Not satisfied with just one hard-hitting performance, Mousley scored 41 from 20 against Lancashire two nights later.
Chris Jordan leads Surrey into the quarter-finals (Harry Trump/Getty Images)
Chris Jordan (Surrey)
With Jason Roy out of the XI and the top order not performing, Surrey relied on Chris Jordan this week to make a game of it against Somerset. He took three wickets in the first innings, all in the final over, showing the death bowling skills that have made him an elite player in this format. He followed up this bowling performance with a career-T20-high 73 at a strike rate of over 200 to momentarily make things interesting when chasing 218.
Daniel Sams (Essex Eagles)
While the Aussie couldn’t quite replicate his knock of 71 against Sussex last month, he removed the Sharks’ middle order on route to taking 3 for 45 in a stellar Essex win in Hove. While Essex’s next game against Glamorgan may have already been won by the time Sams got to the crease, his 21 from 10 deliveries helped to put the game out of sight. His bowling performance, 3 for 20 including the crucial wicket of Colin Ingram, rounded off a tidy evening for the Eagles.
Rashid Khan (Sussex Sharks)
The Afghanistan international hasn’t shown the best of himself so far in the Blast, but this week saw a return to business as usual. Rashid was Sussex’s most impressive bowler against Essex, managing to keep his economy at 7.50 while Essex scored at 9.85 per over for the innings, also taking three wickets. In the following game against Hampshire, the leg-spinner took 2 for 24 runs, after scoring 25 from just 12 deliveries with two inventive sixes over mid-wicket.
Daniel Sams stood out with bat and ball over the past week (Harry Trump/Getty Images)
Jamie McIlroy (Glamorgan)
McIlroy’s match figures this week might not look all that special, but they were important in match context. His two wickets against Essex, including that of Dan Lawrence, came while concerning just eight runs an over – no other Essex bowler had an economy rate below 11. In the following fixture against Kent, McIlroy took 3 for 31, including that of Tawanda Muyeye on route to a Glamorgan victory in their final match of the tournament.
Jake Ball (Notts Outlaws)
One of just four bowlers to take a four-for this week, Jake Ball impressed in his first appearances for nearly a month. He got his week off to a great start by knocking over Durham’s top three to set up an easy three-wicket win for Notts. His four-wicket haul came in the following fixture against Worcestershire, once again knocking over the opposition's top order in the powerplay. Ball now has 18 wickets in the Blast this year, at an average of 12.83.
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