Australian opener Aaron Finch has been in remarkable form this summer when it comes to the shortest format of the game. Normally when a team posts a total as big as 221 in the first innings, it sends shockwaves into the other team’s dressing room. But, this wasn’t the case in the Middlesex vs Surrey T20 Blast clash.
Middlesex posted a mammoth total of 221 for 5, thanks to Irish opener Paul Stirling’s maiden T20 hundred. But when Surrey openers Finch and Jason Roy came in to bat, they made it look like a child’s play. Middlesex bowlers faced a storm of fours and sixes. Finch-Roy clobbered the bowlers in the powerplay overs scoring 97 runs.
There were no setbacks in the runchase as Finch continued his brutal onslaught on the bowlers. He got to his century in just 45 balls which is also his second of the tournament.
Roy got out for 84 in the 14th over but not before sharing a partnership of 194 for the first wicket. The partnership between the two is second-highest of T20 Blast history, it is also the sixth-highest of the T20 history.
The boundaries continued to flow and Surrey achieved the target in the 16th over with 4 overs to go. Thus making it the fastest 200-plus runchase in the history of T20 cricket. The previous best was by Northern Districts against Auckland earlier this year in Smash T20 league (New Zealand).
The man of the match @AaronFinch5 spoke to @backandacross after a simply incredible 117* off 62 ball. pic.twitter.com/uQdsC9ceNq
— Surrey Cricket (@surreycricket) August 4, 2018
The Surrey runchase was also the highest 200-plus in terms of runrate (13.87 runs per over). The previous best was from Australia who chased down 245 at a run rate of 13 runs per over against New Zealand earlier this year.
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Finch has scored 462 runs in the tournament in just 6 innings. The 31-year-old has a staggering average of 154 in the T20 Blast 2018 including 2 centuries and 2 half-centuries. He recently broke his own record of the highest individual score in T20Is by scoring 172 against Zimbabwe.
