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The Graves digger buries the Blast – but Essex and Surrey far from ‘mediocre’
- Updated: May 20, 2016
Surrey 170 for 8 (Azhar Mahmood 42, Sangakkara 32, T Curran 32, Quinn 4-35) beat Essex 162 (Westley 46, ten Doeschate 36, Mahmood 4-38, T Curran 3-21) by eight runs Scorecard
Debate continues to ferment over the future of England’s T20 competition, which whatever the outcome is unlikely to survive in its current form, but the last thing the NatWest Blast needed on its opening night was for the Colin Graves, the ECB chairman, to deem it “mediocre” before a ball had been bowled.
Record attendances last season; record advance ticket sales this. The NatWest Blast might be in for a revamp, but a noisy full house for the TV match at Chelmsford – ultimately silenced as Surrey stole an eight-run win in an engrossing, fluctuating contest – was another salutary reminder that this competition has its fans.
It has angered many around the counties that the “Graves digger”, whether by accident or design, almost buried the competition before it had begun.
Surrey’s victory came from the unlikely position of 80 for 6 in the 11th over as one of T20’s ancients, Azhar Mahmood, combined with the up-and-coming allrounder Tom Curran to steel Surrey with both bat and ball.
Mahmood smashed 42 off 22 balls as he put on 65 in seven overs in a bright and breezy …
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