Sean Abbott stuns Kent – and himself – with 34-ball hundred

Surrey 223 for five (Abbott 110*) beat Kent 182 for 7 (Muyeye 59, Bell-Drummond 52) by 41 runs

Nigh-on 20 years have adopted since Symonds’ revelation of T20’s potential. Then the sport invited scepticism and suspicion even within the nation that had been daring and forward-thinking sufficient to current it to the world. As Abbott underlined as soon as extra, it has since turn out to be a recreation the place something is feasible.

“I don’t think people should be thinking about me and ‘Roy’ in the same breath,” Abbott mentioned, moments after his unbeaten 110 from 41 balls with 4 fours and 11 sixes (all however one between lengthy on and deep sq.) grew to become simply the newest story of the surprising. “But it was a lot of fun. I was just grateful to find the middle of the bat.”

He discovered it so usually on his debut T20 look at Kia Oval that he now stands solely 4 balls adrift of Chris Gayle’s all-time file. He achieved the feat within the penultimate over by drilling his fellow Australian, the veteran seamer Michael Hogan, for successive sixes over additional cowl. This from a seam bowler whose common in T20 was 10.91, who had by no means made greater than 41 in 76 earlier innings on this format, and who made solely 51 runs as an afterthought in Sydney Sixers’ 2022-23 Big Bash marketing campaign.

Nobody doubts that he can bat – he has made good runs for Surrey within the Championship this season and has a first-class common of twenty-two – however this was solely the second hundred of his skilled profession. Inspiration fell upon him.

It was Kent Day, the Feast of St Augustine, which celebrates the patron saint of Kent and first Archbishop of Canterbury. But this time the chomping was left to Abbott, whose saintly qualities usually are not even identified in Windsor, New South Wales. He got here in with Surrey 64 for 4 in 8.2 tentative overs. Sam Curran had simply departed to a little bit of catching apply at mid-off and the pitch cried out for anyone who would simply give it a little bit of a slug.

Thanks to Surrey’s unusual reliance on a bowler-heavy facet, Abbott had that chance. He mentioned later that he simply did not need to burn up too many balls. With six overs remaining, Surrey have been 118 for five, Abbott on 28 from 17, and there was discuss of how 170 would surpass Kia Oval’s par rating. But Surrey added 105 within the final 5 overs. First Kent’s bowling fell aside then their fielding adopted. They started just like the facet that completed prime of South Group in 2021 and completed just like the facet that ended up backside a yr later.

Abbott first took a liking to the left-arm spin of George Linde – too quick, six; too full, one other six. He might need holed out throughout that over on 47, however Joey Evison, who had watched these two balls sail many miles over his head, couldn’t make floor at long-off to the mishit.

Kane Richardson, one other Australian within the firing line, then went for 30 (6-4-6-4-4-6) on the 18th over. Richardson opted for vast yorkers, however by no means nailed them, and Abbott, by now discovering his full repertoire, combined delicate steers with lean-back heaves right into a heat South London sky.

When a type of heaves malfunctioned in opposition to Evison, Linde, who had a nasty evening, leaned ahead to fumble a sitter. With the century achieved in opposition to Hogan, there was time for laughter, too, as Richardson and Jack Leaning mixed to pat-a-cake one other blow into the boundary boards.

It was a far cry from Surrey’s beginnings. It was good to see Sam Curran again in Surrey’s facet, captain, too, so quickly after an IPL season through which he had been charged with dwelling as much as a file £1.85m price ticket. “A season of many ups and downs, lots to learn from and come back stronger,” he had tweeted. He can chill out right into a event the place IPL value tags are the not often a subject of crowd dialog.

Another of Surrey’s IPL contingent, Jason Roy, was once more absent with a minor calf harm, fairly a coincidence after a fraught and highly-publicised week through which he deserted his England incremental contract to signal for the MLC’s inaugural event within the United States. The suggestion stays that he’ll see out Surrey’s Blast season, and can miss the beginning of the MLC tournment in the event that they attain the ultimate levels, however cricket is in flux, Roy is likely one of the gamers on the centre of it, and nothing will be assumed to be set in stone.

In the meantime, Surrey’s medical workforce will see moderately extra of him than Surrey supporters which is a typical state of affairs that county cricket is discovering more and more exhausting to dwell with.

It was exhausting due to this fact to not recall the phrases of Alec Stewart, Surrey’s director of cricket – and seemingly a contender to switch the late Mystic Meg – who remarked per week or so earlier about prime English gamers connected to counties: “They go away and play elsewhere and when they come back they want time in the indoor school with the best coaches just to get ready to go off and play in another franchise competition. ‘Oh and by the way I’ve got a little calf injury so can I get treated by the physio, the doctor, the medical staff and can I get rehab as well?’ “

Sunil Narine stood in as opener throughout Surrey’s victory in opposition to Middlesex at Lord’s 24 hours earlier, however this time Surrey promoted Laurie Evans and make-do-and-mend with Abbott at No. 6. It all went moderately effectively.

Kent made a spirited begin with the bat as Daniel Bell-Drummond and Tawande Muyeye repeatedly peppered the boundary to succeed in 75 within the powerplay. Both reached half-centuries – Muyeye’s first – however after Sunil Narine had Bell-Drummond caught within the deep, Kent crumbled. The final over was left to Abbott, the sport received, his face filled with smiles, however no wicket so as to add the ultimate contact to his night.