The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and the Vitality Blast are in full swing, and our Giants have been in excellent form this season, especially Saurabh Netravalkar. He has been the standout performer, playing a crucial role in helping the USA qualify for the Super 8 stage of the World Cup. Let’s take a closer look at their performances:
Saurabh Netravalkar: 2/18 vs India
Saurabh Netravalkar has been exceptional in the T20 World Cup, delivering excellent spells consistently. He played a key role in the USA’s victory over Pakistan and shone against India as well. In a memorable game, he dismissed Virat Kohli for a first-ball duck and then took the wicket of India’s captain, Rohit Sharma. His figures of 2/18 put India under a lot of pressure.
Jamie Smith: 45 and 20 vs Sussex and Gloucestershire
Jamie Smith has been on fire in the Vitality Blast recently. In the game against Sussex, batting first, Smith scored a quickfire 45 runs off just 22 balls, including 4 sixes, which helped Surrey post a formidable total of 184 runs in their 20 overs. Surrey went on to win the match convincingly by 54 runs, with Smith’s explosive batting setting the tone. In Surrey’s game against Gloucestershire, chasing 171 runs, Smith played another crucial innings, scoring 20 runs off just 8 deliveries, which included 2 fours and 1 six. His rapid scoring helped Surrey tie the game in a thrilling finish.
Richard Gleeson: 2/16 and 2/25 vs Yorkshire and Derbyshire
Richard Gleeson has made a significant impact in the Vitality Blast with his impressive performances against Yorkshire and Derbyshire. Playing for Birmingham Bears, he was outstanding against Yorkshire, taking 2 wickets for just 16 runs in his 3.5 overs. His tight bowling restricted Yorkshire to just 145 runs in their 20 overs, and Birmingham Bears eventually won the game by 4 wickets. Gleeson continued his excellent form against Derbyshire, picking up 2 wickets for 25 runs. His performance helped restrict Derbyshire to just 133 runs, and Birmingham Bears secured a comfortable 7-wicket victory.
