The Cricketer looks at the main talking points from the T20 Blast clash between Surrey and Gloucestershire at the Kia Oval
You simply can't bowl a better final over.
Surrey needed 14 off 12 and six off six, but David Payne would ensure the unlikeliest share of the spoils on Friday night.
He simply nailed every single ball, yorking Tom Curran with the first, with Sean Abbott caught at deep midwicket off the third. A scampered bye followed and a two dug out to long-on. With the scores level and a single ball to go, Jordan Clark could only jab another perfect yorker back to Payne, who whipped off the bails.
Match tied. "Funnily enough," joked Payne, "we thought it was about par."
He added: "We're most proud that we've come to Surrey, come to The Oval, on a good wicket, when most people think Gloucestershire are a side that play on slow, low wickets. But we've battled against one of the best teams in the country and shown that we can go toe-to-toe with them. On first reflection, I'm feeling proud of the group that we've competed with a side like that.
"We need to take confidence from that. It's recognising who we've competed against; they are such a strong side. This is professional cricket, the top of the top. I do thank The Hundred for that sort of thing, it's allowed me to play at all the biggest grounds in front of big crowds. Big Bash is the same. That was loud; the crowd really got up for it."
Surrey couldn't get over the line at the Kia Oval (Ben Hoskins/Getty Images)
Hardly a new ploy for a left-arm swing bowler with a new white ball, but Payne's set-up to dismiss Dan Lawrence in the first over of Surrey's reply was a well-trodden path, following four inswingers with one that held its line, went across him and was edged to Cameron Bancroft at first slip.
For Lawrence, it is the latest low score in a disappointing run for the former Essex man, handed a spot at the top of the order, where he batted for his former county in 2023, but struggling for runs.
He has 29 in five innings now and just 13 in three games at the Kia Oval. One wonders whether, with Jason Roy – 55 off 40 balls – at No.3 and Will Jacks to return at some stage from the T20 World Cup, there might be room for a slight reshuffle of resources.
Payne, on the other hand, has 12 wickets in five games so far; only Ben Green has more.
It had been four years between T20 appearances for Dom Sibley, an extraordinary number in the context of the modern game, where, yes, specialisation is increasing, but also where the opportunities to play white-ball cricket at all times of the year continue to increase.
So, it was a surprise to see the former England Test opener's name on a Surrey teamsheet full of T20 specialists: Jason Roy, Tom Curran, Laurie Evans, Spencer Johnson… and Sibley.
He didn't have much to do in the end, almost pulling off a spectacular one-handed catch at slip early on, falling lbw to Josh Shaw in the penultimate over for a single.
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