T20 BLAST 2021 TEAM OF THE WEEK: Glenn Phillips and Dillon Pennington lead the way... but who joins them in the best XI?

MATT WHILEY: The Cricketer looks at the outstanding performances from the last week of the domestic 20-over competition...

Tom Banton (Somerset)

For both Somerset and England fans, this was a hugely welcome return to form for Banton, who prior to this week had scored just 33 runs in four outings this season. He banished those demons with a blistering 77 from 37 against Hampshire, before following it up with an even more impressive display, smashing his second T20 hundred, an unbeaten 107 from 51 against Kent, as Somerset dished out a thrashing in Canterbury.

Alex Hales (Notts Outlaws)

Losing your leg stump first ball doesn’t quite paint you as team of the week material, but despite that being the exact situation Hales found himself in last week, he makes it in on account of two other performances. A mesmerising display of hitting in Notts’ demolition of Worcestershire saw him amass 60 not out from 24, before he, like Banton, went one better, striking an unbeaten 101 off 66 against Lancashire.

Stevie Eskinazi (Middlesex)

It would be a push to find someone who had a more productive week than Eskinazi anywhere in the world, in any walk of life, with the Middlesex man scoring a total of 257 runs in the space of three games. He started his staggering run as he meant to go on, blasting his first T20 hundred, an unbeaten 102 off 61 against Essex. He then added 64 in the London derby 24 hours later, before concluding with 91* from 56 at home to Glamorgan.

Arron Lilley (Leicestershire Foxes)

Lilley has developed a reputation as a specialist pinch hitter for the Foxes over the years, batting in the top order on account of his explosive ability. He demonstrated that in spades against Yorkshire, smashing an unbeaten 99 off 55 as the Foxes amassed 207 for 3, a total they ultimately defended comfortably. The chance to do well against Yorkshire is something that Lilley, a veteran of seven seasons with Lancashire, has never forgone.

Glenn Phillips (Gloucestershire)

Phillips has proven himself to be a shrewd acquisition to Gloucestershire’s ranks, and his magical innings last week saw him underline his quality. Nearly every cricket fan within a mile of the internet has seen his outrageous scoop for six against Glamorgan, which was part of his first 94 not out. He then matched the score exactly against Sussex the following day, with Gloucestershire now sitting atop the South Group.

Jordan Thompson (Yorkshire Vikings)

As one half of a spectacular recovery effort against Worcestershire, Thompson’s confidence will have been high heading into Yorkshire’s second home game of the week against Northants. Against the Rapids, he partnered with Harry Brook to haul the Vikings to 191 for 5 with an unbroken stand of 141 in 55 balls, striking 66 not out from 28 himself, and then top-scored against the Steelbacks with 74 off 35.

^{Samit rolled back the years for champions Notts}

Samit Patel (Notts Outlaws)

A man with immense experience of the shortest format was always bound to claim a record eventually, and alongside appearing in his 200th T20 game for the Outlaws this week, he also bowled the most economical four-over spell in Blast history. His three wickets for four runs against Worcestershire preceded another impressive return of 2 for 17 against Derbyshire as Patel proved once more that, even at 36, he still has ability in spades.

Benny Howell (Gloucestershire)

Like Lilley,  Howell also usually bats as a pinch hitter in Gloucestershire’s top order, but it’s not his batting, but his bowling that sees him into this team, as he snared seven wickets over three games this week. His highlight was a return of four for 15 away to Sussex, a haul that included top-scorer Luke Wright, and reduced the hosts from 53 for three to 76 for seven as Gloucestershire triumphed by 27 runs.

Callum Parkinson (Leicestershire Foxes)

Parkinson often flies under the radar, but that entirely suits the Leicestershire spinner, who added six scalps to his season total this week. An economical 2 for 23 from four against Derbyshire preceded a match-winning haul of 4 for 35 against Yorkshire as the Foxes, initial strugglers, won both games to maintain hopes of a late quarter-final push.

^{Callum Parkinson has been among the positives for the Foxes}

Dillon Pennington (Worcestershire Rapids)

Maidens are a valuable commodity in T20, with even six dots in a row considered an impressive feat. To bowl two in a row, and take four wickets within them, one of which was the England Test captain is even more so, but seamer Pennington achieved exactly that in the powerplay of Yorkshire’s innings at Headingley. He was a shining light in a game that Worcestershire narrowly lost.

Tymal Mills (Sussex Sharks)

As one of the fastest bowlers in the country, Mills is a fearsome prospect to face and forms an integral part of the Sussex pace battery in T20. The Sharks have been unlucky with the weather, losing four games to rain, more than any other side, but when play was possible this week, Mills rampaged through batting orders, twice taking three-wicket hauls against Gloucestershire and Surrey for combined figures of 6 for 41 from eight overs.