T20 Blast: Glamorgan succumb to sensational spin duo to hand the Hampshire Royals victory

Glamorgan collapse as a magnificent performance from the bowling outfit gives Hampshire victory at the Ageas Bowl.

Hampshire Royals 128-7

Glamorgan 87 all out (15.3 overs)

Glamorgan were set 129 for victory in what seemed a routine run chase for the visitors and a golden opportunity to chalk up their first win of the campaign. However, spin duo of Mason Crane and Liam Dawson completely changed the complexion of the Welsh outfit’s run-chase.

The day’s play:

Fresh off a blistering 87 not out just yesterday, James Vince won the toss and elected to bat first.

Prior to the first delivery, the Welsh outfit were the only team in the competition that remained winless. However, they did tie a dramatic game the previous day, sharing the points with Gloucestershire to halt their losing run.

Unfortunately for the 10,000 spectators in the home crowd, the Royals innings never seemed to get going. Struggling with the incredibly slow nature of the pitch, Hampshire lost wickets regularly and at key times. Vince top scored for his side with 25.

Pace off the ball was the order of the day as the batsman found it difficult to get their timing. From a Glamorgan perspective, Merchant De Lange bowled beautifully in the back of a length region to finish with figures off 24-2 off allotted four overs.

In the second innings, Hampshire suffocated the Glamorgan batting line-up, keeping the run-rate low as well taking key wickets at vital times. Crane (22-3) and Dawson (11-3) in particular stole the headlines with a spell of spin bowling as good as you will ever see. The duo bagged three apiece as they ripped through the Glamorgan’s middle order.

Opener David Lloyd gave his side a glimmer of hope as he top scored with 26 before falling to great bowling from Crane. With his wicket, all Glamorgan hopes disappeared as Chris Morris finished off the tail with some toe-crunching yorkers. The away side were eventually bowled out for 87 in 15.3 overs.

The victory tonight gives Hampshire their third win in as many games and lifts them up to third in the South group. Meanwhile, the visitors face the long trip home staring down the barrel, as they remain bottom and win-less.