Shahid Afridi took 3 for 16 as Hampshire, the leaders of the Friends Lifet20 South Division, thrashed bottom side Middlesex by seven wickets
ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jul-2011
ScorecardShahid Afridi took 3 for 16 as Hampshire, the leaders of the Friends Lifet20 South Division, thrashed bottom-placed Middlesex by seven wickets with threeovers to spare at Uxbridge.Afridi, who has now taken 13 wickets for 83 runs in 18 overs in thecompetition, dismissed Scott Newman and Neil Dexter with successive balls asMiddlesex collapsed from 61 for one to 74 for 6, before struggling to 121 fornine.It was a pathetic score on a fast-scoring ground where Gloucestershire piled upa record 254 for 3 last Sunday, and the result was never in doubt once JimmyAdams and James Vince had put on 51 in six overs for Hampshire’s second wicket.Hampshire, who won the competition last year, have now won nine of their 12matches, while Middlesex have been beaten nine times in 11 games.Middlesex lost Paul Stirling in the third over when he was caught and bowled byDimitri Mascarenhas, but they were going well when Adam Rossington and Newmanwere putting on 41 in four overs for the second wicket.Then Rossington, who had made 25 off 17 balls with a six and three fours, wasbowled by Mascarenhas and Middlesex stalled.Afridi had Newman caught at long off for 24, Dexter fell lbw next ball and whenJohn Simpson was brilliantly caught and bowled by Imran Tahir and Ryan McLarenwas run out by Vince’s direct hit, Middlesex had lost five for 13 in fourovers.Sam Robson offered some resistance with an unbeaten 28 off 30 balls, but therewere only two boundaries in the last 13 overs.Hampshire’s Adams hit as many as that off his first two balls from Stirling,and though he struck only two more, he anchored the innings with an unbeaten 38off 50 balls.Vince provided the fireworks by hitting 39 off 22 balls with two sixes and fourfours before he holed out to long on off Steven Crook, while Sean Ervinecompleted the job with 22 off 14 balls, including four fours.