Patel has Surrey in spin but Panthers lose
Surrey 147-9 (20 ov) beat Middlesex 132-8 (20 ov) by 14 runs
Harrow-born spinner Ravi Patel took four wickets and was twice on a hat-trick but Middlesex Panthers were unable to overhaul a low target at The Oval.
Patel, 21, followed up a promising display in Thursday’s win over Essex by returning superb figures of 4-18 – including the wickets of ex-Australia captain Ricky Ponting and top scorer Jason Roy in successive balls.
He repeated the trick later in the innings and fellow spinners Ollie Rayner and Adam Voges also picked up two wickets apiece as Surrey limped to 147-9.
However, Panthers rarely got going in reply, Neil Dexter top scoring with 40, and they came up short when requiring 22 off the last over.
Roy got the Lions off to a strong start, particularly taking after Toby Roland-Jones, and the England Lions man scored 51 of Surrey’s first 68 runs inside eight overs.
However, Patel pegged back Surrey in spectacular fashion, first removing Ponting for 10 and then trapping Roy lbw the very next ball.
Zafar Ansari survived the hat-trick ball but was not as fortunate when the left-armer returned a few overs later, before Patel had Azhar Mahmood lbw again off the next delivery.
Vikram Solanki saw off the second hat-trick chance but the potential dangerman scored just six before he was out to Voges as Surrey fell short of 150.
Middlesex, who chased down 170 against Essex at Lord’s 24 hours earlier, suffered a blow when Thursday’s batting heroes Dawid Malan and Joe Denly fell within an over of each other.
By the time Voges and Adam Rossington were sent packing, the run rate had shot up and Panthers were always playing catch-up.
Dexter was the only player to register a serious total but even he scored at barely more than a run a ball and when he was run out, Middlesex needed 31 off the last 10 balls.
A Kyle Mills boundary in the last over briefly raised hopes of an unlikely win but it was too little too late.
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