Roy, Curran lead Surrey surge as Lancashire fall flat

Jason Roy blazed a trail for Surrey Getty Images

Surrey 213 for 6 (Curran 49*, Roy 45) beat Lancashire 154 (Majid 3-42) by 59 runs

Tom Curran and Reece Topley took the plaudits as Surrey opened their Vitality Blast campaign with a 59-run victory over Lancashire Lightning at the Kia Oval.

Curran blasted 49 from 20 including four sixes to propel the hosts to what at one stage seemed an unlikely 213 for 6, Jason Roy contributing 45 (19).

Topley then dismissed Keaton Jennings and Matty Hurst before the visitors got a run on the board and while Paul Coughlin (37) and Chris Green (35) showed some defiance, Lancashire were bowled out for 154, slow left-armer Yousef Majid picking up 3 for 42.

Roy produced the early pyrotechnics with two sixes off Jimmy Anderson, the second threatening to endanger the south London traffic. A third maximum off Coughlin was followed by three successive fours as he sprinted into the 40s, only to slap one from spinner Green straight to cover.

Ollie Pope cut his first ball for four and he and Adam Thomas both cleared the ropes as the hosts reached halfway at 105 for 1. Anderson though returned to have Thomas caught off a skier by Jack Blatherwick, sparking a mid-innings slump during which Surrey lost 3 for 9 in 15 balls.

Laurie Evans was run out by Joe Moores' direct hit, but the Curran brothers joined forces and while Sam in his first match of the season after a groin injury was run out for 32, Tom played a magical cameo, including three huge sixes from the last six balls bowled by Green, meaning 56 came from the last three overs.

Lancashire's chase soon hit the buffers, Topley having Keaton Jennings caught at slip from the first ball of the innings, before pinning Matty Hurst lbw three balls later to leave Lightning 0 for 2. Queenslander Ben McDermott's ramped Topley over the keeper's head for six, but Tom Curran, soon removed him caught at mid-on.

Moores too flickered briefly with successive sixes off Sean Abbott only for the bowler to have the last laugh helped by a stunning grab by Pope at short third, and when Majid held on to a stunning return catch to remove Michael Jones, Lancashire were in tatters at 49 for 5.

Coughlin and Green offered a glimmer of hope with an enterprising stand of 62 from 38, the former extracting some revenge for his earlier punishment ball in hand by hitting three sixes in his 37.

He eventually fell caught at mid-off, and after Green was taken at backward point, the visitors fell away.

Lancashire 2nd innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st0KK JenningsMA Jones
2nd0MA JonesMF Hurst
3rd28BR McDermottMA Jones
4th17MA JonesJHA Moores
5th4CJ GreenMA Jones
6th62P CoughlinCJ Green
7th25CJ GreenJM Blatherwick
8th17JM BlatherwickTW Hartley
9th1S MahmoodJM Blatherwick

Twenty20 Cup (England)

Central & West Group
TeamMWLPTNRR
NOR22082.575
GLO22081.2
SOM11041.077
GLA2020-0.1
WAR2020-1.616
WOR1010-5
Cross Pool
TeamMWLPTNRR
SUR11042.95
SOM11041.896
WOR11040.9
LEI1010-0.9
HAM1010-1.896
LAN1010-2.95
North Group
TeamMWLPTNRR
DUR22081.757
YOR22081.133
LAN11041.95
DER2020-0.344
NOT2020-1.929
LEI1010-3.314
South Group
TeamMWLPTNRR
KEN22081.167
HAM11041.5
SUR11040.634
SUS21120.632
MID2020-1.043
ESS2020-1.864