Advertisement
Advertisement
Pakistan pacer Hasan Ali bagged a stunning six-wicket haul, including a hat-trick, to guide Birmingham Bears to a thumping 58-run win over Derbyshire Falcons in the Vitality Blast at Edgbaston on Sunday.
The emphatic result gave the Bears back-to-back home victories and further boosted their campaign as they eye a deep run in the tournament.
Batting first after being put in, Birmingham posted a strong 199 for 6 on the board, thanks to a flying start from openers Tom Latham and Alex Davies.
The duo stitched together a solid 79-run stand, with Latham anchoring the innings with a composed 58 off 42 balls while Davies played the aggressor, smashing 49 off just 29.
Although Derbyshire pulled things back in the latter half, with Pat Brown picking up 3 for 40, the total proved far too steep.
Derbyshire Falcons never really got going in the chase, folding for 141 in 19.1 overs against a dominant Birmingham Bears.
Their innings unravelled in dramatic fashion early on, with four wickets falling inside the first four overs. Hasan Ali got his first breakthrough by removing David Lloyd, who had threatened briefly with a quick 17.
While Ross Whiteley (50 off 37) and veteran Wayne Madsen (46 off 32) offered some resistance, the Bears kept striking at regular intervals.
Hasan Ali returned in the death overs and produced a dream second spell to dismantle the tail, including a brilliant hat-trick.
He removed Whiteley (caught at long-off), Alex Thomson (caught at mid-on), and Ben Aitchison (bowled) on consecutive deliveries to seal the game in style.
The 30-year-old achieved impressive bowling figures of 6 for 23, marking his career-best in T20 cricket.
Adding to Derbyshire’s woes, George Garton had a night to remember as well. The Bears’ all-rounder equalled the T20 world record for most catches in an innings by a non-wicketkeeper, grabbing five sharp takes.
READ: Portugal beat Spain on penalties to win Nations League
