Men’s Hundred: Trent Bridge |
Southern Brave 126-8 (100 balls): Whiteley 39* (29); De Lange 5-20 |
Trent Rockets 127-1 (82 balls): Malan 62* (43), Short 51* (41) |
Trent Rockets won by nine wickets |
Scorecard; Table |
It’s been a week of firsts in the Hundred – the first game in the women’s and men’s competitions, then the first double-header, then the first double double-header, which included the first five-wicket haul.
Trent Rockets’ Marchant de Lange, your name is in the record books.
The quick bowler from South Africa was a late call-up for the tournament after Pakistan’s Wahab Riaz was unable to play because of visa issues. De Lange took no time settling in, taking 5-20 from 20 balls as the Rockets restricted Southern Brave to 126-8.
Brave were indebted to Ross Whiteley, who made a 29-ball unbeaten 39, but their score looked below par on what is normally a high-scoring Trent Bridge ground.
They gave themselves a chance when George Garton, part of the England squad for the limited-overs against Sri Lanka this month, bowled Alex Hales.
But England’s Dawid Malan – the top-ranked Twenty20 batsman in the world – made an unbeaten 62 in an unbroken stand of 124 with D’Arcy Short as Rockets cruised to a nine-wicket win with 18 balls to spare.
The next game in the men’s competition is at 18:00 BST, when Northern Superchargers play Welsh Fire at Emerald Headingley.
De Lange grabs opportunity
At 6ft 7in, De Lange is an imposing character. But BBC pundit Harry Gurney, who played alongside him at Team Abu Dhabi in the T10 League, describes him as a “friendly giant”.
De Lange, a 30-year-old former javelin thrower, hit an average speed of 90mph and was clocked as fast as 93.4mph.
He claimed his first wicket when Delray Rawlins slapped to Lewis Gregory at cover, then cleverly bowled New Zealand all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme around his legs from around the wicket.
De Lange, who bowled 10 dot balls as Brave failed to score from 51 deliveries, had Devon Conway caught behind before returning to bowl the final set of five deliveries.
He set his field brilliantly to have Chris Jordan caught at deep square leg, before a deadly accurate yorker bowled Garton.