Colin Ingram inspired Glamorgan to a record score to open their NatWest T20 Blast campaign with a high-scoring 25-run win over Surrey at the Kia Oval.
Ingram struck six of the evening’s 26 maximums as his superb 91 from 47 balls spearheaded Glamorgan’s rush to 240 for three – their highest Twenty20 total and only 14 runs away from the competition’s best ever.
In reply Surrey were bowled out for 215 in 19.3 overs.
Ingram and Jacques Rudolph, whose 62 took just 39 balls, put on 141 in 12 overs and the only top-order Surrey batsmen to look capable of challenging Glamorgan’s total were Steven Davies, who hit five sixes and three fours in a 32-ball 58 and Kumar Sangakkara, whose 37 came off only 17 deliveries with a six and six fours.
But Sangakkara then mis-hit to short fine-leg, attempting to scoop away a full-toss from Craig Meschede, in an astonishing over which also cost the bowler 24.
Davies was fourth out when he aimed a reverse-sweep at Dean Cosker’s slow left-arm spin and was bowled.
Zafar Ansari tried to keep last season’s semi-finalsts alive with an unbeaten 67 from 32 balls but, with wickets falling around him, Surrey never threatened to better Sussex Sharks’ competition-record winning score of 226 for a side batting second.
Cosker finished with 4-30 from his four overs.
Glamorgan’s total was also the highest made in Twenty20 cricket at the Oval, and Surrey’s only consolation on a night that rained sixes and fours – there were 31 fours struck as well – was that their spirited reply meant that the aggregate of runs scored was the highest in an English domestic Twenty20 match.
Glamorgan’s formidable total was built around the spectacular second-wicket stand between Ingram and Rudolph, and finished off in considerable style when Chris Cooke smashed four sixes in 46 not out off only 19 balls.
Three of Cooke’s sixes came in a remarkable 19th over, bowled by Wahab Riaz, which cost Surrey’s new overseas signing from Pakistan a total of 29 runs – including a no-ball that produced a free-hit that Cooke drove imperiously into the Pavilion.
Cook’s fourth-wicket stand with Ben Wright was worth 58 in a mere 3.2 overs. Wright weighed in by hitting Tom Curran for six in the final over in his seven-ball 16.
The key partnership was between South African duo Rudolph and Ingram as they peppered the short boundary on the gas-holder side of the ground after Mark Wallace chipped a catch to mid-off in the third over.
Ingram, on nine, was brilliantly caught left-handed by a diving Gareth Batty at mid-off only for umpire Steve O’Shaughnessy to turn the crowd’s cheers into groans by signalling that Curran had bowled a no-ball.
Making the most of his reprieve, Ingram swung Curran for two leg-side sixes in the sixth over – the second blow being well-held by a spectator who earned £1,000 for the feat.
Rudolph employed the reverse-sweep, and reverse-swipe, to good effect as he deposited Ansari’s left-arm spin for several fours and when Batty, the Surrey captain, brought himself back into the attack he was immediately heaved for six by Ingram.
Batty was also hit for six over midwicket by Rudolph as Glamorgan’s 100 arrived in the 10th over, and the Welsh county’s captain then hit Matt Dunn over mid-off for four and twice switch-hit the equally suffering Ansari for further sixes.
Ingram, having completed his fifty off only 29 balls, clubbed Dunn for successive sixes to bring up the 150 in the 14th over and, after Rudolph had perished at the start of the next over when he lifted a low catch to wide midwicket, Ingram smashed Curran straight for his sixth and final six.
When Ingram lost his middle stump to Wahab, it was left to Cooke – who warmed up by swinging Batty for six and four in the 18th over – to push Glamorgan on well past 200 with a real flourish.
Ingram was left to reflect on a good night’s work, saying: “I thoroughly enjoyed it out there and playing all those shots, but especially because it was good for the team. Jacques was reverse-sweeping and even reverse-hitting it – and I don’t think I have ever seen him do that before.
“We have had a tough couple of weeks in the Championship but this could be a real turning point in the season in terms of the team’s confidence. We have sung the team song in the dressing room and there is a lot of passion in the side. It’s a great feeling to get off to this sort of start in the T20.
“It was tough night for the bowlers but at least our two spinners got rewarded in the end and it was a very good performance by us.”
Ansari, who ended up as Surrey’s top-scorer in a losing cause, said: “When Steve Davies and Kumar Sangakkara were going well at the start we felt we might be able to chase it down – even a huge total like that.
“The pitch was so good, but we kept losing wickets. It’s disappointing to lose, but from a personal perspective still nice to get some time in the middle and I was hitting it well.”
WATCH full Exclusive highlights of @NatWestT20Blast game against @GlamCricket with 445 runs and 26 big sixes https://t.co/USGliclrTx
— Surrey Cricket (@surreycricket) May 15, 2015
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