Bryant leads Phantoms past Durham
Source -
scotsman.com
Derbyshire began their Twenty20 campaign with a crushing six-wicket win over Durham with 14 balls to spare in front of a 3,000 plus crowd at the County Ground.
Derbyshire began their Twenty20 campaign with a crushing six-wicket win over Durham with 14 balls to spare in front of a 3,000 plus crowd at the County Ground.
Jon Moss and James Bryant smashed 76 from 49 balls for the second wicket as they cruised past Durham’s 130 for seven in the 18th over.
The two captains, Derbyshire’s Luke Sutton and Durham’s Dale Benkenstein, came out for the toss on Harley Davidson motorcycles – but the visitors never got into top gear after they were put in.
Their batsmen failed to come to terms with a slow pitch and Derbyshire’s tactic of rotating the seven bowlers they used.
Although Nathan Astle pulled Mo Sheikh over the ropes in the 3rd over, Durham only hit three sixes and seven fours in their 20 overs, a boundary count Derbyshire passed in the sixth over of their reply.
The fall of early wickets also kept Durham in check with Sheikh holding a sharp return catch to dismiss the dangerous Astle for 11.
Phil Mustard sliced a big drive at Kevin Dean to mid-off and when Nicky Peng was stumped off a Dean wide for 14, the visitors were 39 for three after seven overs.
Slow left-arm spinner Ant Botha kept up the pressure, which told on Benkenstein when he was lbw sweeping before Gary Pratt charged Andy Gray and was stumped.
When Gareth Breese was bowled by Botha, Durham were 86 for six in the 15th over but Muchall at least gave his bowlers something to defend as 32 came from the last three overs.
When Michael Di Venuto was bowled off his body by the second ball from Neil Killeen for a duck, Durham’s hopes were lifted – but Moss and Bryant then buried them by demolishing some poor bowling.
Mark Turner went for 25 from two overs and Liam Plunkett also suffered as the ball vanished to all parts of the ground.
Moss had plundered 46, including two sixes and six fours, from 28 balls when he chopped Astle’s first ball into his stumps – but it was too late for Durham.
Bryant completed his half century from 42 balls and although Sutton became Astle’s second victim and Graeme Welch holed out to long-on, Derbyshire’s second limited overs victory of the season against Durham was never in doubt.
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