Yeh match dekhkar pehle to dil thoda udaas ho gaya, kyunki Surrey jaisi strong team itni kam run bana kar struggle karti dikhi. Unka score sirf 141 for 7 tha 20 overs mein, jo T20 cricket mein kaafi chhota total hai. Aisa laga jaise The Oval ka pitch unke liye bilkul saath nahi de raha tha. Surrey ke batsmen, jaise Jason Roy jo 37 run banakar top-scorer rahe, aur Sam Curran aur Laurie Evans, dono 30 ke aaspaas run banakar bhi koi bada impact nahi daal paye. Hampshire ke bowlers, khaas taur par Scott Currie aur Chris Wood, ne Surrey ke batsmen ko bandh kar rakha. Currie ne 4 overs mein sirf 17 run diye aur 2 wickets liye, jabki Wood ne bhi 2 wickets apne naam kiye 27 run dekar. South African spinner Bjorn Fortuin ne bhi apne debut par 1 wicket lekar acha support kiya. Yeh performance yaad dilata hai jab 2019 World Cup mein England ke bowlers ne South Africa ko 207 par rok diya tha, jisme Jofra Archer ne apni tezi se tabahi machayi thi.
Lekin jaise hi Hampshire ki batting shuru hui, mood badal gaya! Toby Albert aur James Vince ne shandaar shuruaat ki. Dono ne 8.2 overs mein 63 run jod diye bina koi wicket gawaye. James Vince ne 33 not out aur Toby Albert ne 28 not out banaye, jo DLS method ke hisaab se 15 run se aage tha jab baarish ne match rok diya. Yeh opening partnership dekhkar yaad aaya woh 2003 ka World Cup match jab Sachin Tendulkar aur Virender Sehwag ne Pakistan ke khilaaf 50-plus run ki opening stand banayi thi, aur pura desh jhoom utha tha. Hampshire ki yeh jeet unke teamwork aur smart cricket ka nateeja thi. Unhone na sirf ball se dikhaya ki woh kitne dangerous ho sakte hain, balki bat se bhi yeh saabit kiya ki woh pressure mein bhi shant reh sakte hain. Scott Currie ki bowling aur James Vince ki captaincy ne team ko South Group ke top par pahuncha diya, jo ek badi baat hai.
Par yeh jeet thodi khaali si lagti hai, kyunki baarish ne poora match khatam hone nahi diya. Fans ko ek full-throttle chase dekhne ka mauka nahi mila, aur Surrey ke fans ke liye yeh aur bhi takleef wala hai, kyunki unki team ko apne aap ko redeem karne ka poora chance nahi mila. Yeh thoda sa uss 1992 World Cup semi-final jaisa hai, jab South Africa ke khilaaf baarish ne match ka result DLS (tab Duckworth-Lewis) ke haathon mein de diya tha, aur South Africa ke fans ke dil toot gaye the. Aisa lagta hai jaise cricket mein kabhi-kabhi luck bhi bada role khelta hai, aur yeh baat hamesha thodi si udaasi chhod jati hai.
