Sibley stars on T20 debut to sink Hampshire

Surrey 188 for 5 (Sangakkara 72, Sibley 67) beat Hampshire 108 (Ansari 2-12, Bravo 2-3) by 80 runs
Scorecard

Dominic Sibley starred with bat and ball as Surrey moved to the top of the NatWest T20 Blast South Group by thrashing Hampshire by 80 runs at a packed Kia Oval.

Sibley, a 20-year-old making his T20 debut, took 2 for 33 after scoring a fine 67 in a second-wicket stand of 114 in 10 overs with Kumar Sangakkara, whose 72 off only 35 balls featured two sixes, nine fours and a balmy evening's most memorable strokeplay.

Surrey's 188 for 5 proved too much for Hampshire, who were already struggling at 38 for 4 after the initial six-over powerplay and eventually subsided to 108 all out. Zafar Ansari hastened Hampshire's demise by dismissing Will Smith and Darren Sammy in successive balls at the end of the ninth over.

There was no Shahid Afridi for Hampshire, either, with the Pakistan T20 specialist pulling out of the game through illness. Surrey, though, hardly needed any contribution from their own second overseas player, West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, who was making his debut for the club and only delivered four balls right at the end of the game - one of them a no-ball bouncer.

It was Surrey's third win in four group games but, for Hampshire, it was a fourth defeat from five matches and quarter-final qualification already looks a difficult task for them as they bid for a record seventh successive appearance at Finals Day.

Despite this match starting soon after the opening day's play between England and Sri Lanka ended at Lord's, six miles to the north across the Thames, a crowd of almost 17,000 turned up - with a few spectators no doubt managing to attend the two matches. Either way, the fact that around 45,000 people watched international and county cricket in London on the same day proves the continuing popularity of the game at both levels.

Jimmy Adams uppercut the third ball of Hampshire's reply for six over backward point but dragged Sam Curran's next ball on to his stumps and Adam Wheater departed for 8 when he was bowled trying to make room to hit a leg break from Sibley square on the offside.

Sibley had figures of 2-0-9-1 after bowling the second and fourth overs, and both the fifth and sixth overs brought further Hampshire wickets as Sean Ervine edged a drive behind off Ravi Rampaul and Liam Dawson was also out for 1, bowled as he heaved at Tom Curran.

Ansari reduced Hampshire to 52 for 6 by having Smith held in the deep and Sammy caught by keeper Ben Foakes for a first ball duck, and when Sibley returned to the attack he had Lewis McManus caught at deep square leg for 41 one ball after being struck for six.

After that, there were some defiant blows from Gareth Andrew in a 22-ball 31, ended by an athletic leaping boundary catch by Bravo, celebrated by an impromptu jig facing that section of the crowd, before Bravo followed that up by having Ryan Stevenson caught behind with his second ball and last man Tino Best held at mid off from his fourth ball.

Jason Roy fell for 9 in the fourth over of the game, caught at mid-off from a leading edge as he aimed something violent at Sammy's medium pace.

Surrey's innings was soon galloping along, however, as Sangakkara and Sibley matched each other stroke for stroke until the great Sri Lankan surged ahead to reach his half-century first from a mere 24 balls.

Sibley soon followed his partner to the landmark, from 35 balls, and his fifty included sixes flicked over mid-wicket off an Andrew over costing 16 and lofted straight against Dawson's left-arm spin.

Sangakkara, who earlier clubbed Smith's off-breaks for six, slog-swept Sammy for his second maximum before, later in the same 14th over, mis-hitting to long on.

Bravo edged Stevenson to the keeper after making only 3, and Sibley's fine innings ended in the 17th over when he was held on the ropes attempting to swing fast bowler Best beyond the mid-wicket boundary.

Tom Curran fell cheaply to Stevenson, but the seamer - also making his T20 debut - conceded two legside sixes in the 20th over with Ansari clearing long on and Rory Burns producing a superb pick-up over mid-wicket as 16 runs came from the final six balls of the innings.

Hampshire's players wore black armbands in memory of Hamza Ali, who made a first-class appearance for the county earlier this season and who has tragically drowned at the age of 20.