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He required four lifelines, but Victoria’s rookie opener Michael Hill nevertheless achieved a feat that none of his country’s Test squad could manage in Adelaide last week, and scored a century against the English tourists

Andrew Miller in Melbourne10-Dec-2010He required four lifelines, including a first-ball reprieve off Chris Tremlett, but Victoria’s rookie opener Michael Hill nevertheless achieved a feat that none of his counterparts in the Test team could manage in Adelaide last week, and scored a century against the English tourists. At the age of 22, and in his eighth first-class appearance, Hill made 105 not out, his highest first-class score, to hand Victoria the spoils on the opening day of their three-day fixture at the MCG.The day’s main focus, however, was on another Michael from Victoria – Michael Beer. His surprise call-up to the Australia Test squad after only five first-class outings for his new state, Western Australia, left Beer, his former team-mate and club-level rival, surprised and delighted at the speed of his ascent.”It’s an interesting story, because two years ago he was running around for St Kilda,” said Hill, who himself plays for their biggest local rivals, Melbourne. “He’s been a great club bowler for the past three or four years – I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s got 50 wickets a year or close enough to that – and they’ve seen something in him, so they’re giving him a go. If he plays I’ll definitely be sending him a text. In fact, I’ll go and do it now!”Two seasons ago, the pair were occasional team-mates in Victoria’s second XI. Now, after a switch of state and five wickets in England’s opening match of their Ashes campaign, he’s set to become the tenth spinner since Shane Warne to don the Baggy Green. “Every time Frosty goes out to play, he plays with 100% and all his heart,” Hill said. “If he plays, he’ll play no different than that.”Hill’s performance may have shown how it is possible to thrive against this touring England side, but afterwards he confessed how tough he had found the latter stages of his innings, when the pressure of his maiden first-class century resulted in him offering up his fourth and final chance on 92.”I think they call them the nervous nineties for a reason, and I think I know all about them now,” Hill said. “But I had a really good friend in David Hussey up the other end, who got me through some tough times. He kept saying, don’t worry, it’ll come, but I thought ‘Jeez, will it come soon, because I don’t want to stay here too long’.”I was really excited this morning, I woke up thinking how cool it would be to get a few runs,” he added. “You need a bit of luck in this game and I had my fair share, but I was over the moon. This is a small stepping stone, but hopefully there can be more to come. The calibre of the players we are playing against is phenomenal.”Having faced up to all three of the England seamers who are vying for selection at Perth, Hill reckoned the man who deserved to play was the same bowler who might have had him caught at slip first-ball. “I’d go for [Chris] Tremlett,” he said. “Just for his big height, especially at the WACA. He extracted a lot of bounce out of a wicket that wasn’t giving the bowlers much, and he bowled a terrific spell of reverse swing just before tea.”It’s hard facing him,” he added of England’s 6’8″ seamer. “It looks like his arm is coming over the top of the MCG roof, which is pretty hard to do. It is intimidating watching him coming down, and he bowled some terrific spells today. In fact they all bowled well. Early on they realised the wicket would be quite flat, and with the reverse swing they were trying to get as full as possible, so there weren’t a heap of effort balls going in.”The pick of England’s seamers was Tim Bresnan, whose application on sluggish decks in Bangladesh back in March had taught him how best to perform in such inhospitable conditions. “You can only bowl on what you get given, and I feel we did that as a unit,” Bresnan said. “You’ve billed it as a shoot-out, or a bowl-off, but we can’t see it like that. We’ve got a job to do, and a game to win, and we’ve gone in with that philosophy.”As for Beer’s selection for the Test match, Bresnan recalled his performance in the WACA warm-up, but had little time for the theory that, as a left-arm spinner, he had been selected to probe one of the flaws in Kevin Pietersen’s game. “It’s obviously not a weakness any more, is it?” said Bresnan, after watching the way he dispatched Xavier Doherty during his double-century in Adelaide. “We’ll view that selection closer to the time. But it doesn’t matter what they do in their team selection, we’ll do the same due diligence on whoever plays.”Meanwhile, Hill’s excitement at reaching three figures for the first time was quite enough to be getting on with for now, even though the Australian selectors are clearly in the market for young cricketers with the temperament to succeed at the highest level. “I don’t like to try to think too far ahead,” he said of the possibility of himself being called into the squad at some stage. “That’s my first first-class hundred, so I’m looking forward to getting out in the second innings against the Poms and seeing how I go.”

John Lyon, the former Lancashire wicket keeper, died in South Africa over the Christmas holidays.

Cricinfo staff04-Jan-2010John Lyon, the former Lancashire wicket keeper, died in South Africa over the Christmas holidays. He was 58.Lyon played 84 matches for Lancashire between 1973 and 1979, initially as a replacement for Farokh Engineer before becoming the first choice for his last three seasons, taking 159 catches and making 12 stumpings. Although he was a limited lower-order batsman, he did score a first-class hundred against Warwickshire in 1979 along with Bob Ratcliffe, who also made his only first-class century.Lyon then had a marked impact on Irish cricket, initially with Bangor and then Clontarf where he proved highly successful as a coach.He subsequently emigrated to South Africa where he ran a sports bar while continuing to coach.

Azhar will continue to a member of the selection committee for the men’s national team

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Nov-2024Former Pakistan captain Azhar Ali has been appointed head of youth development at the PCB. The newly created role was filled, according to the PCB, after a recruitment process and Azhar will perform it in addition to his current role as a member of the selection committee for the men’s national team.While light on specific details of what the role entails, a PCB statement said Azhar would be “tasked with shaping the future of Pakistan cricket by designing and implementing comprehensive youth cricket strategies, establishing robust grassroots cricket structures and talent pathways, collaborating with regional cricket associations to strengthen age-group programmes, educating emerging cricketers under the PCB’s Pathways Programme, and organising seminars and clinics to build awareness of off-field development essentials for aspiring players”.Azhar is one of the more obvious examples of a success story through the player pathway programme in Pakistan.He made his first-class debut in 2002, and was part of Pakistan’s Under-19 World Cup squad that year. He went on to hone his game in the UK before returning to Pakistan, making his Test debut in 2010, and became a Pakistan great, scoring 7142 Test runs at an average of 42.26, and briefly captained both Pakistan’s Test and ODI sides.”I am honoured and excited to take on this important role,” Azhar told the PCB’s website. “Having risen through the age-group ranks and played extensive club and domestic cricket, I understand the critical role grassroots development plays in shaping future stars.”Significant strides have already been made in this area and I look forward to working with my colleagues to elevate our youth development programme further. Our goal is to identify promising talent and equip them with the tools to excel at the highest level.”Pakistan’s U-19 side is currently involved in a triangular series in the UAE, with Afghanistan as the third side.

A decision on his place in the squad will be taken early next week

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Sep-2023Tim Southee will undergo surgery on Thursday for the thumb injury he sustained against England last week and New Zealand remain hopeful he could still be available the World Cup.Southee dislocated and fractured his right thumb attempting to take a catch at slip offered by Joe Root at Lord’s. A decision on his availability will be taken early next week.”We’ve got our fingers crossed the surgery goes well for Tim,” head coach Gary Stead said. “He’ll have some pins or screws inserted in his right thumb and, providing the procedure is a success, it will be a matter of ensuring Tim can tolerate the pain and manage the actual wound when returning to train and play.Related

• Southee fractures bone in right thumb during Lord's ODI

“Our opening game of the World Cup against England is not until Thursday October 5 in Ahmedabad, so that would be our logical target in terms of his availability.”Tim’s obviously a hugely experienced and important figure in our team and we want to give him every chance to be part of this World Cup campaign.”Southee is New Zealand’s third-highest wicket-taker in ODIs with 214 at 33.60 and has played in three previous World Cups.He was one of four specialist quicks named in New Zealand’s squad alongside Trent Boult, Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson. Kane Williamson is also part of the squad as he returns from an ACL injury although when he becomes available is still uncertainNew Zealand play two warm-up matches on September 29 against Pakistan and October 2 against South Africa.Five of the World Cup squad are currently part of the ODI series in Bangladesh while the rest will depart for India next Tuesday.

There had been speculation about his future in the format since he took a break

Mohammad Isam17-Jul-2022Tamim Iqbal has announced his retirement from T20Is shortly after leading the ODI side to a 3-0 series win over West Indies in Guyana. Bangladesh won the match by four wickets, with Tamim winning the player-of-the-series award. At around 6pm local time, he wrote a short message on his official Facebook page, posting in Bangla saying, “consider me retired from T20 internationals from today. Thanks everyone.”It ends speculations over the last several weeks about his decision to continue playing the format he had taken a break from in January this year. He said at the time that he is going to take a break of six months from T20Is.”My full focus will be on Tests and ODIs,” Tamim said on January 27 this year. “We are preparing for the World Test Championship and qualification for the 2023 World Cup. I will not be thinking about T20Is in the next six months. I hope that those playing will do so well, that the team won’t need me in T20Is. But if God forbid the team or cricket board needs me, and I am ready, I will possibly think about it.”Related

• Tamim becomes first Bangladesh batter to reach 8000 ODI runs

• Tamim Iqbal steps away from T20Is for next six months

• Tamim Iqbal drops out of T20 World Cup, says other players deserve a chance

Tamim had kept himself away from this format since the middle of last year when he made the surprising decision to voluntarily pull out of contention from the T20 World Cup in the UAE. Tamim stepped away to give Soumya Sarkar and Mohammad Naim an extended run as openers, although both failed and were later dropped from the T20I side.Tamim last played a T20I in March 2020 when he made 41 off 33 balls against Zimbabwe. He was criticised in some quarters in the T20I series before that, in Pakistan, when he made 65 off 53 balls.Instead, Tamim has flourished in the other formats, leading Bangladesh to five consecutive ODI series wins including the one against West Indies that concluded on Saturday.Tamim was a regular in the Bangladesh T20I side from 2007 to 2018, having played 75 out of 84 possible games for the side. He remains the only batter with a century for Bangladesh, finishing as the third highest run-scorer with 1701 runs at 24.65 average. Tamim is likely to play in domestic T20 competitions. He is the all-time leading run-scorer in the BPL, having played in every season of the tournament.

Test opener returns to club where he earned his route back to Australia squad in 2019

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Mar-2021
Cameron Bancroft, the Australia Test opener, will return to Durham for the 2021 season, the club has announced.Bancroft captained Durham in both the County Championship and One Day Cup in 2019, prior to his call-up for that summer’s Ashes squad, and was described by the club’s director of cricket, Marcus North, as having a “positive influence” during his time with the club.Bancroft scored 726 runs at 45.37 in nine Championship games that season, and a further 377 runs at 94.25 in List A cricket, performances that helped to smooth his way back into the Test set-up after serving a nine-month ban for his role in Australia’s ball-tampering scandal in 2018.After missing out on the 2020 season due to the Covid-19 outbreak, Bancroft will return to Chester-le-Street once he has completed his Sheffield Shield campaign with Western Australia.”We are really pleased to welcome Cameron back to Emirates Riverside this summer,” North said. “He had a positive influence on and off the field during his time with us in 2019.He is currently having a fantastic summer down under for Western Australia and we look forward to him having a big impact for Durham when he re-joins the squad in May.”

New-look seam attack restrict New Zealand to sub-par 153 for 5 in series opener

The Report by George Dobell01-Nov-2019England 154 for 3 (Vince 59, Santner 3-23) beat New Zealand 153 for 5 (Taylor 44) by seven wickets
A maiden T20I half-century from James Vince helped a new-look England get their New Zealand tour off to a winning start in Christchurch.Despite taking the opportunity to look at three debutants – Sam Curran, Pat Brown and Lewis Gregory – England ensured the reign of new head coach, Chris Silverwood, got off to a winning start in sealing a sixth successive T20I victory. For a side experimenting with fringe candidates a year out from the T20 World Cup, it was a satisfying performance.There were some dissenting voices when Vince, now 28 and playing his 35th international game across formats for England, was recalled. But when he bats like this, combining composure with an ability to time the ball that few can match, it is easy to see why the selectors have
found it so hard to cut him adrift.James Vince pulls through the leg side•Getty Images

Here, demonstrating a range of conventional strokes, Vince controlled the run-chase perfectly. From the moment he hit his first delivery for
four, a classy square drive of Mitchell Santner, he batted with a fluency no other batsman in the game could replicate. Using his feet to pace and spin alike, he made it hard for New Zealand’s bowlers to settle on a length and hit as many fours – seven – as their batsmen managed in their entire innings.But while Vince may dominate the headlines, this was a result set up by a skilful display from England’s bowlers. Maintaining immaculate lines and lengths, they varied their paces cleverly to keep New Zealand to a total perhaps 20 under par on a surface that was a little sluggish – understandably, too: this is the earliest date an international game has been played in New Zealand’s South Island – but which offered bowlers little.The opening pair of Sam and Tom Curran conceded just seven from the first three overs of the match – Tom Curran started with a maiden – to ensure New Zealand were unable to make full use of the Powerplay. And while Sam Curran’s figures were dented by a third over that cost 21 – Colin Munro punishing Morgan’s decision to extend the bowler’s spell with two successive sixes – he had already snared the key wicket of a frustrated Guptill, playing-on as he looked to force the pace.It was a decent start from Brown, too. Bowling at the death, he showed both his skills and his composure, conceding two sixes but no fours,
and claiming a notable maiden international wicket when Ross Taylor mistimed a slower ball to deep midwicket. The third debutant, Lewis
Gregory, was not required with bat or ball, though looked just a touch nervous in the field.Pat Brown made his England debut•Getty Images

But perhaps Chris Jordan was the pick of the bowlers. While Tim Seifert may have been unlucky with his dismissal – replays suggested the full toss he scooped to mid-wicket was perilously close to waist height – Jordan demonstrated a good range of pace, good control and a willingness to bowl both in the Powerplay and at the death.That New Zealand were able to set anything like a competitive target was largely due to a fifth-wicket stand of 56 in 38 balls between Ross
Taylor and Daryl Mitchell. Mitchell hit the ball as hard as anyone but, coming in at 93 for 4 in the 14th over, had been left too much to do to get New Zealand up to a match-winning total. Only four overs in New Zealand innings realised more than 10 runs; only one realised more
than 13.Any hopes that New Zealand may have enough were quickly banished. Jonny Bairstow may have taken eight balls to get off the mark, but he then took 18 – three fours and a six – off Scott Kuggeleijn’s first over. So while Santner, with his changes of pace, troubled England with three wickets, the support bowlers – Kuggeleijn and Ish Sodhi – were unable to maintain the pressure.When Bairstow, brilliantly caught by Martin Guptill at deep mid-wicket after he had been drawn into slog-sweeping one well outside off stump, and then Vince, mistiming a long-hop in the same direction, fell New Zealand may have harboured hopes of a dramatic fightback. But Eoin
Morgan was too experienced to allow that and sealed the result with a heave over midwicket off Tim Southee with nine deliveries remaining.
The result puts England one-up in the five-match series.At the post-match press conference, Mitchell conceded that New Zealand were about 10 short of a par score. “We would’ve liked to have done better but I think England probably adapted better to the pitch than we did. It was tough to start on, was a bit two-paced and a bit slow. We lost a few wickets straight after the Powerplay there which halted our momentum a bit and we had to play catch up but fair play to England. They might have been a bit more match-fit having played a couple of warm up games and hopefully we’ll learn from this and be ready for the next one.”The match was preceded by a minute’s silence for those who lost their lives in the terrorist attack of March 15 in the city. All proceeds from ticket sales at the match are to be to donated to a fund to encourage the participation of ethnic minorities in sport.

Netravalkar made his captaincy debut in USA’s last match against Belize and has been assigned the role until the tour of Oman for the Division Three Championship in November

Peter Della Penna03-Oct-2018Ibrahim Khaleel, who captained USA to victory over Canada in the 2017 Auty Cup to end a 26-year drought and more recently led USA to the tournament title at the ICC World T20 Subregional Americas Qualifier in North Carolina last week, has been dropped from USA’s 16-man squad for the Cricket West Indies Super50.Former India Under-19 medium pacer Saurabh Netravalkar, who made his captaincy debut in USA’s final match in North Carolina against Belize as a stand-in for the rested Khaleel, has been chosen to take over full-time for the Super50 and USA’s tour to Oman for WCL Division Three in November.

USA squad

Saurabh Netravalkar (capt), Alex Amsterdam, Usman Ashraf, Elmore Hutchinson, Nosthush Kenjige, Jannisar Khan, Jaskaran Malhotra, Monank Patel, Timil Patel, Kyle Phillip, Srini Salver, Roy Silva, Jessy Singh, Sunny Sohal, Steven Taylor, David Wakefield

Khaleel, who turns 36 next week, is one of a handful of USA players who had T20 franchise contracts in the Caribbean Premier League this summer as well as in the Global T20 Canada, but has paid the price for scoring five runs in two innings in North Carolina. He was USA’s third highest scorer with 142 runs on tour and a best of 61 in the CWI Super50 played in February in Barbados, USA’s most recent 50-over tour.But Khaleel’s overall 50-over batting record for USA was modest, with 392 runs in 21 matches at an average of 19.60. He was arguably USA’s best pure gloveman of the past decade, though it wasn’t enough of a benefit in the eyes of USA’s selection panel to justify maintaining his spot. His departure means Jaskaran Malhotra will take over the gloves in the immediate future for USA. Malhotra was USA’s leading scorer this past January at the Super50 with 277 runs. He was named Best Batsman at the Subregional Americas Qualifier after scoring his maiden century for USA against Belize and kept wicket in the match that Netravalkar filled in for Khaleel as captain.”There were some incredibly tough decisions to be made following the tournament in Raleigh, of which the decision regarding Ibrahim was one of them,” said USA selection chairman Ricardo Powell in a press release. “On behalf of the selection committee, I would like to express a sincere and heartful [sic] thanks to Ibrahim for his leadership over the past thirteen months.”Netravalkar, 26, did not have a sharp tournament in North Carolina either, with just two wickets in six matches at an average of 45.50 against weak competition. However, he was USA’s joint-leading wicket taker in February at the last Super50 with 13 wickets in eight games on his USA tournament debut and has been given the captaincy nod ahead of others in a side where few other senior players have managed to make convincing cases for holding down a long-term spot in the team.Fast bowler Ali Khan is the only other player from the T20 squad picked for North Carolina who will be absent from the Super50 tour of Barbados after Khan was drafted by Kabul in the inaugural Afghanistan Premier League which starts this weekend in the UAE. However, Khan is expected to be a member of USA’s WCL Division Three squad in Oman beginning on November 9 where USA will also face Denmark, Kenya, Singapore and Uganda needing a top-two finish to gain promotion to WCL Division Two.Steven Taylor drives over cover for a boundary to move past 1,000 career one-day runs for USA•Peter Della Penna

On the flip side, Steven Taylor became available for USA’s squad after he was not included in Jamaica’s playing group for the Super50. Taylor played for Jamaica in February’s Super50 and has had a contract with the Jamaica Scorpions franchise since 2017 but has seen limited playing time in both the four-day and 50-over teams. He was recently named Player of the Tournament after helping USA to the Subregional Americas T20 title in North Carolina, including an unbeaten 96 off 54 balls in a two-wicket win over Canada on September 25 in which he clubbed 22 off the final over.The three players added to USA’s squad for the Super50 to push their case for inclusion in USA’s final 14 that will go to Oman are batsman Alex Amsterdam and medium pacers Jessy Singh and Kyle Phillip. Amsterdam, 27, last played for USA at the previous Division Three tournament in Uganda in May 2017, making 102 runs in four innings with a best of 41.Singh, 25, also has not played since Division Three in Uganda after requiring reconstructive knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus and torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee suffered in the leadup to that tour. Singh played through the injury, taking the clinching wicket against Uganda that saved USA from relegation, before a post-tournament MRI scan revealed the extent of the damage.Phillip, 21, has only recently qualified on residency to play for USA after moving to Florida from Trinidad & Tobago. The towering quick, Phillip stands roughly 6’6″, poses a threat with his sharp height and bounce at 135 kph and was the only other USA player besides Khaleel and Khan to be drafted in this past summer’s Global T20 Canada. He was team-mates with Khan at Winnipeg Hawks and played four matches but is still a very raw prospect and struggles with his accuracy at times.USA’s squad departs Wednesday for Barbados where they will play eight matches in a double round-robin group that includes Barbados, Jamaica, Leeward Islands and Combined Campuses & Colleges. USA’s first match is against CCC on Saturday October 6.

Yuvraj Singh and wicketkeepers Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant have been omitted from India’s squad for the limited-overs leg of the Sri Lanka tour

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Aug-20174:20

Dasgupta: Selectors looking ahead to 2019 World Cup

Yuvraj Singh and wicketkeepers Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant have been omitted from India’s squad for the limited-overs leg of the Sri Lanka tour. The selectors also opted to rest the spin duo of R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja along with Umesh Yadav and Mohammad Shami, the team’s frontline seamers during the Test series. Seamer Shardul Thakur and legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal were drafted into the 15-man squad, which also features the fit-again KL Rahul, an in-form Manish Pandey and Jasprit Bumrah, who was rested for the West Indies series. Rohit Sharma also returns to the squad as vice-captain after being rested for the West Indies tour.At 35, Yuvraj’s time may be running out as the selectors probably showed the first definitive signs of identifying a fresh middle-order combination in the lead up to the 2019 World Cup. Ever since his 32-ball 53 against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy, Yuvraj has gone six innings without a half-century, and managed only 57 runs in his three most recent innings in the West Indies.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

While Karthik, who scored an unbeaten 50 in one of the two games he played in the West Indies, finds himself out of the squad, he might not yet be out of contention for a berth in the middle order, given his form in domestic cricket too. The middle order in Sri Lanka will comprise MS Dhoni, Pandey and Kedar Jadhav. Pandey’s selection is a reward for his consistent run in India A’s victorious campaign in the recent tri-nation series involving South Africa and Afghanistan. He emerged as the highest run-scorer in the tournament with 307 runs in five innings, with scores of 32*, 93*, 86*, 41* and 55.With Rahul and Rohit returning to occupy the opening slot, Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane will have their task cut out. While Dhawan has a better strike-rate and scored two centuries in the ongoing Test series against Sri Lanka, Rahane comes into the series on the back of some impressive recent limited-overs form. With 336 runs in five innings, including three fifties and a hundred, Rahane topped the run charts in the West Indies series.The bowling attack is heavy on wristspin with Kuldeep Yadav and Chahal in the ranks. The inclusions of Thakur, Axar and Chahal – each of whom has figured in the selection panel’s long list for some time now – have underscored the importance of good performances in the A tours, with nine, seven and six wickets each. Axar, who was called up as cover for Jadeja in the Pallekelle Test, will have a part to play with the bat as well, in the lower middle order.

Aaron Finch and Jade Dernbach gave Surrey the edge over a Somerset side whose T20 dreams have turned sour

Will Macpherson08-Jul-2016
ScorecardFile photo: Jade Dernbach had an outstanding night•Getty Images

It was always going to require something inspired for Surrey to defend their Aaron Finch-filled 154. But, through a combination of waspish fielding, fine bowling – with Jade Dernbach to the fore in both disciplines – and canny captaincy, they did just that – by a whopping 15 runs, all but ending Somerset’s hopes of progressing. After a staggering stall in Surrey’s innings after Finch’s fireworks, Somerset – strangled by Surrey – put on a clinic in how not to chase.Dernbach, having taken a wicket in both his early overs and also pulling off a magnificent direct hit to dismiss Jim Allenby, was recalled to the attack by Gareth Batty and entrusted – as he always is – with closing out a tight game with his chicanery and craft. The equation was 33 required from 24 balls, and five Somerset wickets still standing.These last 12 Dernbach deliveries – always just wide enough of line, always just awkward enough of length, and never remotely readable of pace – went for eight, with his last ball deceiving Lewis Gregory, who was caught on the midwicket fence. As Tom Curran – who bowled a brilliant over between Dernbach’s two – stood atop his mark for the innings’s last, the game was won.It was Sam Curran’s tight opening over and Ben Foakes’s outstanding diving catch of Johann Myburgh – off Dernbach’s bowling – that set the tone for Surrey’s excellent defence. Against the new ball, Mahela Jayawardene was in sublime form, flicking beautifully to leg and placing perfectly on the offside but, after Dernbach bowled Peter Trego, he fell to Batty’s first ball.Batty quickly identified that, with 63 scored from the first six overs, the spin of he and Zafar Ansari would be vital. Both finished with figures of 1 for 20, with Ansari’s wicket also vital, Roloef van der Merwe bowled slogging. With the wind sucked from Somerset’s sails – although Alex Barrow and Gregory shared a chancy 43 to give them hope, Batty turned to Dernbach and his protege, the older Curran.If Dernbach sealed the deal, it was Finch who set Surrey’s win up. South London on a Friday night is as close to the Twenty20 Finch knows as England can offer. Before a roisterous sellout crowd of 25,500 – there were, as now seems mandatory, variations of “Will Grigg’s On Fire”, and the Iceland slowclap – Finch began the night in ominously ravenous form.By the time Surrey had 50, for the loss of just Jason Roy, who bunted Josh Davey to mid-off, Finch had 44. There was a cut four, before Lewis Gregory was pulled for six, lustily pumped through cover for four, then flicked to cow for six more. Jamie Overton was the victim of another violent triptych: a sensual six towards long-on, a beastly cover drive, and a finessed guide to third man.Yet when he went, a couple of balls after reaching 50, bowled off the pad by Max Waller – who Finch admitted on TV after that he had never seen bowl, Surrey lost their way horribly. There were all the hallmarks of the grim stall: a 12-over wait for a boundary (Tom Curran and Ben Foakes scrambled one each late on), and there were no more sixes; there were two run outs, with Rory Burns’s so farcical that the third umpire was required to decide whether he or Dom Sibley should go. Sibley failed to kick on, adding five to his score before slapping to long-on, Chris Morris top edged to be caught and bowled, while Zafar Ansari pulled straight to the man in the deep.In the Curran brothers, on the day they were called up by England Lions, Surrey found a pair of patient, dinky accumulators, who ensured their innings went the distance. Sam, productive to third man, was run out cleverly by the leaping wicketkeeper Barrow going for a silly second, while Tom lost Foakes to a brilliant catch at backward square-leg from Peter Trego in the final over.It should never have been enough, but Dernbach – after a lengthy spell on the sidelines – is back. The nature of his job often make his failures memorable, but there remain few better at closing out a game. At 30, and having seen – not to mention copped – plenty, he is now a wily old operator with more to give than most acknowledge. Somerset had no answer.