Jacob Bethell's 15-ball fifty takes top billing as Birmingham Bears, Gloucestershire, Surrey, Yorkshire, Sussex and Essex all win in the T20 Blast.
Jacob Bethell hit the second fastest half-century in the 22-year history of English domestic T20 cricket as Birmingham Bears hammered Northants Steelbacks by 90 runs to move level with Lancashire Lightning on 10 points at the head of North Group.
In the South Group, Surrey go back top after inflicting a 13th straight T20 home defeat on Middlesex - a run now stretching back more than two years. Bethell said he "wasn't really looking at the scoreboard too much. I was just trying to watch the ball and hit it." After two early wickets for miserly England paceman Richard Gleeson, who averages less than five runs an over in this competition in 2024, Northants folded to 129-9 to lose by 90 runs.
Lancs might a bright start but then slipped from 67-2 in the eighth over to 88-5 by the 11th before failing to hit 20 off the last over in closing on 166-8 to lose by seven runs.It looked as if the hosts might have a chance when, despite 48 from Tom Curran and Laurie Evans' 41 off 20, they limited Surrey to 185-9.
Chasing the hosts' 140-6, set up largely by an unbeaten 46 from Sam Northeast, the visitors faltered to 45-5. But Jack Taylor’s 70 from 48 balls got Gloucestershire back into it before three dropped catches in the last three overs proved costly for the hosts.
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