David Miller smacked 50 off just 33 balls as he guided Glamorgan to a 25-run victory over Gloucestershire in the Natwest T20 Blast.
Glamorgan vs Gloucestershire
Miller, and indeed the whole side, have had to wait patiently to get on to the park, for three of the last four matches involving Glamorgan have been washed out. Miller, after enjoying a T20 stint with Yorkshire in 2012, finally got the chance to show the Welsh county what he’s made of, and he duly delivered, in a side that is now teeming with South African talent.
Three of the top four in the Glamorgan side are South Africans, and two of them scored half-centuries. Captain Jacques Rudolph amassed an 85-run stand with Miller. Rudoph’s half-century was slightly more pedestrian, as it came off 44 deliveries, but Miller’s power hitting, which saw him score three fours and three sixes in his 33-ball 50, lifted them to 176-5. Colin Ingram scored 18 off 10, while South African-born Craig Meschede scored 14 off eight at the death.
Miller said he thoroughly enjoyed his first outing for the Welsh club and batting with countryman Rudolph.
‘I’m very happy to be one [win] from one, and looking forward to the next four games. I was a bit nervous for a couple of balls, it took me six or seven to get going but it’s nice batting with Jacques Rudolph who has a lot of experience,’ Miller told Glamorgan’s website.
What Ingram can’t do with the bat, he usually does with the ball, and was vital in restricting Gloucestershire as he took figures of just 1-18 from his four overs. Marchant de Lange played his part with the new ball and was just as miserly, taking figures of 1-21 off his allotted overs. Australian export Michael Klinger’s 52 off 34 balls wasn’t enough for Gloucestershire, as they fell 25 runs shy of the mark, for Glamorgan to go up to second in the South group, in what was a Player of the Match effort from Miller.
Derbyshire vs Lancashire
In Derby meanwhile, Derbyshire were able to get the better of Lancashire on Tuesday, defeating Lancs by 35 runs, thanks largely to an unbeaten 77-run stand between Luis Reece and Daryn Smit. Reece struck 97 off 55 balls, while Smit contributed 42 off just 20 balls, which included six fours, as Derbyshire got to a massive 211-5.
Ryan McLaren couldn’t back up his all-round efforts against Durham on Sunday, as he went for 0-46 off his four overs and scored seven with the bat, Lancashire posting 176-9, 35 runs short. Dane Vilas, coming in at No 5, could only score three, meaning his highest score from his last five knocks is 21. Hardus Viljoen went wicketless for 31 runs off his four overs, but was responsible for running out Vilas. Imran Tahir went for an expensive 1-40 from his four overs, while Durban-born Wayne Madsen, the leading run-scorer in the tournament, chipped in with the ball with 1-21, accounting for the dangerous Liam Livingstone, who scored 44 off 18 balls. The victory for Derbyshire lifted them to second in the North Group.
