Thursday 2 July 2015 07:15, UK
Azhar Mahmood struck a six off the final ball as Surrey beat Gloucestershire by four wickets in a thrilling finish to their T20 Blast clash.
Surrey needed six to win from the final ball, so nothing other than a maximum would do and 40-year-old Mahmood – who smashed 22 from 14 balls – obliged, pulling Craig Miles for six to huge cheers from The Oval crowd.
Gloucestershire had set Surrey 155 to win and seemed to be set to defend the score, with Tom Smith – leading wicket-taker for the tournament – impressing, taking 2-24, before Mahmood’s heroics.
After winning the toss and deciding to bat first, Michael Klinger, the Gloucestershire captain – and leading run-scorer in the competition – fell for just two in the second over to Matt Dunn (2-15).
A quick-fire 31 for 17 balls from Ian Cockbain and 32 from 20 for Hamish Marshall still got Gloucestershire off to a flier, although both fell a ball after hitting their first sixes of the innings.
Cockbain was first bowled by Dunn, and then Marshall fell to Zafar Ansari (1-27) in the ninth over.
Five balls later Benny Howell was out for one to Gareth Batty and all of a sudden Gloucestershire were 77-4 and struggling.
Their Australian overseas star Peter Hanscomb – top-scoring with 39 from 31 balls – and 2005 Ashes winner, Geraint Jones (37 off 31), then put on 62 for the fifth wicket to help the visitors set a testing target.
Hanscomb fell in the 18th over to Tom Curran (1-41) but Jones smashed a straight six off Curran in the final over as Gloucestershire reached 154-5 from their 20.
England’s Jason Roy (33 off 17) – needing a runner after picking up an injury in the field – helped Surrey set about the target with five fours and a six in an entertaining knock.
Sangakkara (34 off 33) joined him at the crease after Curran (10) was run-out in the fifth over and smashed his third ball for six off Liam Norwell.
It was to be a bad over for Norwell as Roy then carved him away for three consecutive fours to take Surrey to 55-1 from six.
Just as Roy was cutting loose though, his innings was curtailed in the next over, stumped by Jones off the impressive Smith.
Gary Wilson didn’t last too long, holing out in the deep off Howell for four, before Sangakkara and Ben Foakes (27 off 26) set about rebuilding the innings.
They put on 53 for the fourth wicket, but hit only one four between them, and when Foakes fell – to Jack Taylor (1-22) – at the end of the 16th over, Surrey needed 10 an over from the final four.
Mahmood smashed a straight six off his second ball to ease the pressure, but then Sangakkara was caught a deep midwicket off Smith to pile it back on again.
Some wayward Gloucestershire bowling – with 16 extras, including nine wides and two no-balls – threatened to derail their push for a win, but with nine needed from the final over, Miles kept it tight, even grabbing the wicket of Ansari for nine.
But following two further dot balls to Mahmood, Miles was cruelly dispatched for six, to earn Surrey the win.
