Kia Oval Talking Points: Surrey in brutal mood against helpless Glamorgan

The Cricketer looks at the main talking points as Surrey hammered Glamorgan at the Kia Oval in the T20 Blast

Movement That Inspires play of the day

Josh Blake was only playing because Jamie Smith was struggling with a bruised thumb, but a T20 debut for the wicketkeeper-batter was another feather in the cap for a 24-year-old with an admirable route into the game.

He had been out of Surrey's pathway since he was 15 before weight of runs in league cricket and the county's second team coaxed the club into handing him a deal last summer to become a professional cricketer.

Until then, he had made his living out of coaching in the community – both with the Surrey Cricket Foundation and Chance to Shine, delivering 578 hours' work in 2022 alone for the latter before signing pro terms.

"There were some late nights training, but I wouldn't do it if I didn't want to," he told The Cricketer last August.

"There were some days in the winter where I was doing 9am to 3pm at a school and then coaching from 6pm to 8.30pm at the Stewart Cricket Centre. But I did love that. It wasn't like I didn't enjoy it; sometimes it was tough, but that's like everything."

As debuts go, it was a quiet night: he missed a stumping chance off Sunil Narine, took a fine catch to remove Timm van der Gugten and wasn't required with the bat as Surrey demolished a depleted Glamorgan side. Nonetheless, it was an evening for Blake to remember.

^{Chris Jordan took 4 for 21 for Surrey (Harry Trump/Getty Images)}

Take The Lead, Drive Electric moment of the day

It was brutal from the off, even if many inside the Kia Oval on Tuesday evening had their eyes fixed on a game 200 miles north at Edgbaston for the first portion of proceedings.

Surrey eventually reached the twentieth-highest score in T20 Blast history, smashing 238 for 5 against a Glamorgan side featuring two men – Cam Fletcher and Will Smale – on debut, with Colin Ingram missing to an Achilles problem.

Will Jacks smoked 69 off 40 balls, while Sam Curran's half century – reached off 18 deliveries – was the third-quickest for Surrey in the shortest format.

Sunil Narine hammered 36 in double-quick time, while Laurie Evans fell for 40 in the seventh over. Sean Abbott – he of the Blast's joint-fastest century – didn't even get a bat, with Cameron Steel – originally an opening batter in first-class cricket before his transformation into a leg-spinning allrounder – was carded to bat as now las No.10.

^{Will Jacks was imperious for Surrey (Harry Trump/Getty Images)}

Surrey create daylight from Welsh rivals

Surrey are all but into the Blast quarter-finals now, having opened up a six-point gap between themselves and Glamorgan, while in the process doing plenty of damage to their opponents' net run rate.

The home side have now joined Somerset on 16 points, three wins ahead of those on the coattails of the top four in the South Group.

Glamorgan, on the other hand, missed their chance to go level on points with Hampshire in fourth place, with their negative net run rate now as good as an extra point for James Vince's men.

Surrey's focus now will be on a home quarter-final, even if last year's equivalent ended in the shock of last-ball defeat by Yorkshire.

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