Sam Curran’s blistering 83 off 41 balls, James Rew’s unbeaten century and Moeen Ali’s all-round masterclass headlined a frenetic evening of Vitality T20 Blast cricket on Friday, as Surrey, Northants, Durham, Somerset and Yorkshire all secured victories to leave eight sides unbeaten through the opening fortnight of group play. Surrey’s 47-run demolition of Middlesex at the Kia Oval, Somerset’s chase of 198 against Gloucestershire inspired by Rew’s 102 not out, and Birmingham Bears’ continued run under Moeen’s captaincy have tightened both groups into the most congested early-season standings since the competition expanded its format in 2014.
Curran and Rew lead the run-scoring charge
At the Kia Oval, Curran walked in at 38 for two in the fourth over and immediately tore into a Middlesex attack missing the injured Toby Roland-Jones. The England all-rounder struck nine fours and five sixes, his half-century arriving off 24 deliveries, before holing out to long-on with the score on 171. Surrey closed on 204 for six, with Will Jacks contributing a brisk 44, and then dismantled Middlesex’s reply with Dan Worrall taking three for 22. The visitors folded for 157, leaving them with one win from four South Group fixtures.
Down in Taunton, Somerset’s chase of Gloucestershire’s 197 for five looked precarious at 62 for three in the eighth over before Rew, the 21-year-old wicketkeeper-batter, took control. His unbeaten 102 from 58 balls — featuring 11 fours and four sixes — was his maiden T20 hundred and only the eighth century by a Somerset player in the competition’s history. He shared an unbroken stand of 138 with Tom Banton, who finished 47 not out, as the hosts won by seven wickets with seven balls to spare. Rew, capped twice by England Lions this winter, has now passed fifty in three of his last four innings across formats.
Edgbaston produced the night’s narrowest finish. Moeen Ali’s 64 off 38 and two for 19 with the ball steered Birmingham Bears to a four-run win over Worcestershire, the Bears defending 178 thanks to Sam Hain’s calm 41 and a final-over yorker barrage from Olly Hannon-Dalby. Moeen, back at his boyhood club after his second England retirement, has scored 187 runs at a strike rate of 162 in four matches and remains the tournament’s leading wicket-taker among spinners with seven scalps.
Northants and Durham join the unbeaten pack
Northamptonshire stretched their winning start to four matches with a six-wicket victory over Derbyshire at Wantage Road. David Willey, captaining the side, removed both openers inside the powerplay before Saif Zaib’s 67 off 41 and a brisk 38 from Ravi Bopara guided the chase of 162 with eight balls remaining. Durham, meanwhile, dismantled Lancashire by 38 runs at Chester-le-Street, with Graham Clark’s 78 and Brydon Carse’s three for 28 the headline contributions. The North Group now has four unbeaten teams — Durham, Northants, Yorkshire and Notts Outlaws — a logjam that has not been seen this deep into a Blast campaign since 2018.
The eight unbeaten sides across both groups:
- South Group: Surrey, Somerset, Birmingham Bears, Sussex Sharks
- North Group: Durham, Northamptonshire, Yorkshire Vikings, Notts Outlaws
Yorkshire’s contribution came at Headingley, where Dawid Malan’s 71 off 49 and Adil Rashid’s two for 24 helped the Vikings beat Leicestershire Foxes by 22 runs. It was Malan’s first Blast fifty since returning from the IPL, and his presence has transformed a top order that managed only one hundred-run opening stand across the whole of last season.
What it means for the quarter-final race
Eight unbeaten teams at this stage is unusual but not unprecedented — the 2021 competition reached a similar checkpoint before three of those sides failed to qualify for the knockouts. The format’s compressed scheduling, with most counties playing 14 group games in just over six weeks, traditionally produces a brutal middle-third correction. Surrey and Somerset, both equipped with deep batting orders and England-level frontline bowlers, look best placed to convert their starts into top-two finishes that bring home quarter-finals. Birmingham Bears, finalists in 2023, will fancy their chances of a repeat if Moeen continues to bowl his full four-over quota.
The picture in the North Group is harder to read. Durham have not won the competition since being promoted back to Division One, while Notts Outlaws — twice champions in the last decade — have rebuilt around Joe Clarke and overseas signing Matthew Wade. Northamptonshire, the 2016 winners, have leaned heavily on Willey’s leadership and a settled spin attack led by Graeme White. With Yorkshire also in the mix, the group could deliver three or four teams within a single bonus point of each other when the final round of matches arrives in late June.
Next Friday’s fixtures pit Surrey against Sussex at Hove and Durham against Yorkshire at Chester-le-Street — two contests that will, between them, eliminate at least two sides from the unbeaten list and begin to clarify a competition that has so far refused to settle.
Sports journalist and editor at SportsPortal.net. Covers cricket, football, Formula 1, tennis, and basketball with a focus on how global sports connect with Pakistani audiences. Follows the PSL, Pakistan national cricket team, Premier League, and major international tournaments. Has reported on sports for digital audiences since 2021.
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