On Sunday, June 2, six Vitality T20 Blast matches were played in Manchester, Southampton, Cardiff, Northampton, Chelmsford, and London, respectively. Lancashire climbed up from third to the first spot with four points after defeating Derbyshire in their third game.
Warwickshire, Yorkshire, and Northamptonshire have also won two games so far. They are currently ranked second, third, and fourth with NRRs (Net Run Rate) of 1.323, 0.911, and 0.577, respectively.
In the South Group, Surrey extended their two-match winning streak on Sunday after defeating Somerset by 57 runs. They now hold the top spot with three wins.
Kent, Gloucestershire, and Glamorgan occupy the second, third, and fourth positions, respectively, with positive NRRs. The rest of the teams have two points in their account except Middlesex, who are placed at the bottom of the table with two losses from two matches.
Surrey's winning streak continues in South Group; Lancashire tops North Group
Hampshire and Kent played the first game. Kent openers Zak Crawley (20) and Daniel Bell-Drummond (42) got off to a strong start with a 59-run opening partnership. Captain Sam Billings contributed a quick 43 off 30 balls, helping them reach a 165-run total for the loss of nine wickets.
Hampshire successfully chased the target in 19.5 overs, thanks to Joe Weatherley's 49 off 32 balls and James Fuller's 30 off 16. Kent’s Joey Evison picked up three wickets.
In the second game, Lancashire defeated Derbyshire by 57 runs. Batting first, Lancashire posted a challenging total of 179 for the loss of seven wickets. Zak Chappell took three wickets for Derbyshire.
In response, Derbyshire were bowled out for 122, with Brooke Guest top-scoring with 42 off 32 balls, including two fours and two sixes. Chris Green led Lancashire's bowling attack with a four-wicket haul.
In the third game, Glamorgan posted a competitive 184-run target against Sussex. Their openers underperformed but the middle-order batters Chris Cook (27), Sam Northeast (61*), and Colin Ingram (39) significantly contributed to the total. Tymal Mills stood out for Sussex with four wickets.
In response, Sussex's James Coles hit an unbeaten fifty, featuring six fours. Nevertheless, Sussex could only muster 158 runs, falling short by 25 runs.
Yorkshire and Northamptonshire met in the fourth game where the former won by 29 runs. Batting first, Yorkshire had set a 187-run target with Dawid Malan (41) emerging as the top-scorer. In reply, Northamptonshire batters struggled to build partnerships, resulting in their team’s first loss of the tournament.
Ravi Bopara of Northamptonshire took a four-fer, while Jordan Thompson picked up three wickets for Yorkshire.
In the fifth match, Middlesex batted first and scored 203 runs for the loss of seven wickets. Max Holden (85*), Martin Andersson (49), Ryan Higgins (27), and Joe Cracknell (22) were the major contributors.
In reply, Essex chased down the target in just 17.4 overs thanks to a match-winning knock from Michael-Kyle Pepper, scoring 101 off 44 with 10 fours and six maximums.
Somerset and Surrey met in the last game of the day four. Surrey were bundled out for 163 runs in 19 overs as skipper Ollie Pope (40) and Jamie Smith (87) were the only batters to reach double figures.
Ben Green led Somerset's bowling attack with four wickets while Riley Meredith picked up three wickets. In reply, Surrey showcased a much better bowling performance and bowled Somerset out for just 106 runs. Sean Abbott and Tom Curran took three wickets each.
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