Tom Curran took a hat-trick in his first over and Imran Tahir took three wickets in an over as Surrey removed Glamorgan for just 44, the lowest ever Blast total.
David Lloyd was first out, bowled trying to work to leg. Curran should have told Glamorgan to start the bus with what he had in mind. Colin Ingram has played in T20 leagues all around the world but couldn’t handle Curran, edging his first ball to slip.
The atmosphere inside a sold out Oval was electric, and exploded when Billy Root went in the same fashion as Ingram, the place exploded. It was Surrey’s first-ever T20 hat-trick, and Glamorgan were 6-3.
Glamorgan were 9-4 in the next over as Jade Dernbach had Owen Morgan fending a short ball through to wicketkeeper Ollie Pope. Fakhar Zaman hit Jordan Clark for back-to-back boundaries but soon holing Gareth Batty out to long on.
Chris Cooke nurdled his way to 13 before falling in the same fashion as Zaman. Imran Tahir pinned Graham Wagg lbw for a duck, and ran seven strips over to celebrate — an uncharacteristically short distance for him.
Even more uncharacteristic: Tahir standing raising his arms aloft to celebrate Andrew Salter feathering behind third ball. Few inside The Oval could believe what they were seeing — and when Curran and Jordan Clark combined on the straight boundary, Tahir was on a hat-trick.
Dan Douthwaite survived, but in Batty’s next over Michael Hogan feathered one behind and Glamorgan were all out for 44 — halving their previous lowest score in T20 cricket. Surrey, who had never previously beaten Glamorgan in a T20 here, had now utterly trounced them.
The match had been earlier delayed initially due to lightning in the area and a subsequent heavy burst of rain. Thunderbolts and lightning, very, very frightening — although it had nothing on Surrey’s performance with the ball.
Glamorgan’s decision to bowl upon winning the toss failed to pay off, with Surrey left to accumulate runs on a used pitch in its best possible condition. Rarely did anyone look particularly likely to strike boundaries after Surrey’s powerplay.
Still, doubts must remain about this Surrey side.
They had begun well despite the early loss of Mark Stoneman, chipping an upper cut to third man. Will Jacks pulled his first ball into the stand behind square, and then took three boundaries in four balls against Marchant de Lange.
Aaron Finch didn’t provide his usual fireworks but built nicely with Jacks, and heaved Graham Wagg’s fifth ball over cow corner. The pair put on 61 for the second wicket — but that was where the fun ended for Surrey supporters, at least temporarily.
After Jacks tickled behind down the legside and Finch was caught magnificently by Billy Root slog sweeping followed a conveyor belt of inadequacy, and a procession of tame dismissals. Rikki Clarke chipped one back to Andrew Salter to hand the bowler his second wicket, and Tom Curran slapped one to cover for the third.
A goose that landed on the ground and a loose fox, which Graham Wagg tried in vain to scare away, showed more composure and survived longer on the field than much of Surrey’s middle order.
Ollie Pope looked to accelerate the innings but his reverse sweep — the first unorthodox shot he had played — went straight to short third man. Surrey scored just one boundary from the final 73 balls of the innings, having hit ten leading up to that point, as Liam Plunkett cleared long off by a matter of inches.
His next lofty blow was not so fortunate, de Lange leaping just inside the rope at long on. The South African bowled the final five balls of the innings after Michael Hogan pulled up, bowling Jade Dernbach and having Gareth Batty hit wicket in successive deliveries before Tahir was caught two balls later.
Glamorgan bowled accurately and offered good control in the field, but without Jason Roy, Sam Curran or Ben Foakes — or, indeed, a second batting overseas — Surrey look largely impotent with the bat, even taking into account the increasing difficulty of this wicket.
Pope’s return on Tuesday was a relief, for he adds firepower. But Clarke and Tom Curran occupying slots at numbers five and six looks like a perpetual impending disaster. Surrey must take confidence from this victory, but must also bat better — they face Jofra Archer on Friday night.
