Sam Curran thrashes Hampshire with a brilliant all-round performance

Sam Curran had a brilliant bat-and-ball performance as Surrey thrashed Hampshire by 72 runs to win the South Group and keep their perfect record in this year’s Vitality Blast.

The 23-year-old scored 69 off 38 balls as Surrey amassed 228 for four, their second-highest total in T20 history, before dismissing Hampshire for 156 with a career-best five for 30, including three wickets in an over.

Curran and Will Jacks smashed 131 from 73 balls for the second wicket, and Sunil Narine added 52 from 23 deliveries for the third wicket in front of a Kia Oval crowd of 15,000 people.

Surrey’s biggest score at The Kia Oval in seven years, and it was too much for Hampshire, who were missing their top batsman James Vince due to sickness. In their response, James Fuller led the way with 43 points, but they are still winless after four games.

Nonetheless, things got off to a good start for them. They got a breakthrough in the opening over after deciding to bowl first. Liam Dawson twisted one through Jason Roy’s defences.

But Jacks and Curran were soon launching an all-out assault. They combined for ten sixes and nine fours in a combination that was Surrey’s third-highest in T20, surpassing Jacks and Laurie Evans’ previous best of 118 against Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl two years ago.

Curran also cleared the rope five times, including consecutive strokes from Mason Crane to take him to his fifty. Jack blasted 64 off 36 balls with five sixes, his second fifty of the season. For 58 runs, Crane’s three overs of leg spin vanished.

In the 13th over, Dawson dragged things back by removing both batters. Crane took a lot easier catch in the covers to dismiss Curran for 69 off 38 deliveries after catching Jacks beautifully at wide mid-off.

Hampshire’s misery, however, was far from done. Narine smashed 52 off 23 balls with five fours and four sixes, and their reply got off to a shaky start with Nick Gubbins acrobatically caught in the covers by Kierce Pollard off Reece Topley’s second delivery.

Ben McDermott and Tom Prest boosted Hampshire’s hopes by adding 54 runs off 23 balls, with McDermott depositing a Topley delivery onto the Harleyford Road. However, Curran struck back, bowling Prest as he swung across the line, deceiving McDermott with a slower ball which the Australian chipped to mid-on, and having Donald caught at mid-off off a top-edge.

Curran then returned to bowl Nathan Ellis and pin Fuller lbw to round out an outstanding night’s effort.