One-Day Cup: Road to the Final - How Notts & Surrey reached Lord's
Sangakkara's hundredth hundred and a record run chase...
Saturday 1 July 2017 10:37, UK
Surrey will be aiming to make it third time lucky when they tackle Nottinghamshire in Saturday's Royal London One-Day Cup Final at Lord's, live on Sky Sports.
Gareth Batty's side came unstuck against Gloucestershire in 2015 and against Warwickshire last year but now have another chance to lift the trophy, having seen off Worcestershire in their semi-final.
Live Royal London One-Day Cup Cricket
Kumar Sangakkara, Jason Roy, Mark Stoneman and co could face a depleted Notts bowling attack, with Jake Ball (knee) definitely out and Stuart Broad (heel) far from certain to play.
However, they will come up against a power-packed batting line-up, one which smote a combined 802 runs in the knockout stage in wins over Somerset and Essex respectively.
Here is how both teams reached Saturday's showpiece…
SURREY
GROUP STAGE
Surrey lost their One-Day Cup opener - Roelof van der Merwe smashing a stunning 165 from 122 balls after being dropped early at slip by Sangakkara as Somerset recovered from 22-5 to overhaul Surrey's total of 290 - and the Londoners actually suffered defeat in three of their first five matches.
However, Ben Foakes' unbeaten 82 and Sangakkara's exemplary 124 not out led them to rain-affected victories over Kent and Hampshire respectively, before a washout against Gloucestershire ensured Surrey finished third in the South Group and landed a play-off game.
PLAY-OFF
Sangakkara's century against Hampshire was the 96th of his career and, after also sparkling in the County Championship against Middlesex and Essex, he completed his 100th - a run-a-ball 121 - against Yorkshire at Headingley a month later to lift Surrey into the One-Day Cup semi-finals.
Foakes (86 off 88) flourished again as Surrey amassed 313-7, albeit against a Yorkshire attack shorn of Messrs Rashid, Willey and Plunkett due to ICC Champions Trophy commitments. Surrey then restricted Yorkshire to 289-9, with Ravi Rampaul (3-54) dismissing top-scorer Adam Lyth (75).
SEMI-FINALS
Having been jettisoned by England for the Champions Trophy semi-final against Pakistan due to a series of low scores, Jason Roy blossomed in his county's colours against Worcestershire, flaying 92 from 81 balls as Surrey smashed 363, Sangakkara (73) and Foakes (86) also impressing.
Skipper Gareth Batty then snared 5-40 - his best List A figures for Surrey - as his team secured a return to Lord's, Brett D'Oliveria's 53 and an enterprising 55 from Ross Whiteley, which featured four sixes, nowhere near enough for Worcestershire, who were skittled for 210 in the 34th over.
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE
GROUP STAGE
Like Surrey, Nottinghamshire ended the pool phase with four wins, three defeats and a wash-out. Highlights included Samit Patel (103no) and Steven Mullaney (77no) marshaling the side to victory - it wouldn't be for the last time, either - against Lancashire, and Billy Root's maiden List A ton, a sterling effort of 107 not out from 93 balls against Warwickshire.
Notts were undone by a Root, though, with Billy's brother Joe stroking an unbeaten 75 as Yorkshire eased to a seven-wicket win. A rain-ruined final match versus Northants saw Outlaws earn the point which pipped Yorkshire's Roses Rivals Lancashire to third place in the North Group.
PLAY-OFF
Notts edged a bonkers game at Taunton, one in which their total of 429-9 looked at one point like it might not be enough as firstly Dean Elgar (91 off 63) and Peter Trego (66 off 47) and latterly Jamie Overton (40 off 26) gave Somerset a sniff, only for them to fall short on 405 all out.
Brendan Taylor (154 from 97) top scored in the 834-run thriller, with his Notts team-mates Riki Wessels (81) and Patel (66) providing excellent support as Overton was dispatched at nearly 10 runs an over. The seamer exacted some revenge with the bat, nailing three sixes, but to no avail.
SEMI-FINAL
Having posted a mammoth score three days earlier, Notts then chased one down at Chelmsford, toppling Essex's 370-5 with three balls remaining to complete the highest successful run chase in an English 50-over game, beating Hampshire's 359-8 against Surrey in 2005.
Alastair Cook' struck 133 for Essex before Ryan ten Doeschate scored a blistering 66-ball 102 not out and the hosts appeared in complete control when Taylor's calamitous run out left Notts on 180-4 a ball shy of halfway.
Patel (122no) and Mullaney (111 from 75), launched an exceptional fightback, though, putting on 185 in 23.4 overs, before an exhausted-looking Patel, dropped with 16 runs required, edged the winning boundary.
Watch the 2017 Royal London One-Day Cup Final between Nottinghamshire and Surrey, live from 10am on Saturday on Sky Sports 2.
