In a thrilling semi-final of the T20 Blast 2024, Lewis Gregory showcased his exceptional bowling skills by dismissing England internationals Ollie Pope and Jamie Smith in consecutive deliveries. This remarkable feat played a crucial role in Somerset’s victory over Surrey, securing their place in the final.
Gregory’s exceptional bowling
In the eighth over of Surrey’s innings, there were two dismissals. Gregory got Ollie Pope out for the first time with the third ball of the over. Gregory’s knuckleball struck the stumps while the right-handed hitter attempted an aggressive stroke. Pope hit three boundaries in a knock of 19 runs off 17 balls.
Gregory hit a beautiful ball to eliminate Jamie Smith for a golden duck on the very next delivery. Smith was tempted to drive by the entire delivery, but it beat his outside edge and broke the off-stump. After 7.4 overs, Smith’s wicket reduced Surrey to 69/3.
With just 15 runs conceded throughout his four-over stint, the 32-year-old bagged three wickets. After winning the toss and opting to bowl first, Somerset captain Lewis Gregory held Surrey to a modest total thanks to an outstanding bowling display. Craig Overton had a rough start, giving up 16 runs in his first over. But in the second over, Josh Davey gave Somerset their first breakthrough, getting rid of Daniel Lawrence for 19 off 11 balls.
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The team crumbled down at 153
After that, Ollie Pope and Dominic Sibley put together a 43-run partnership off 33 balls for the second wicket, but Gregory got rid of Pope for just 19. Jamie Smith was removed by the pacer on the very next delivery.Before Burns was dismissed for 14, Rory Burns and Sibley put up 36 runs for the fourth wicket.Â
Before becoming Gregory’s third victim, Sibley scored 48 from 36 balls, including three boundaries and one six. After he was dismissed, Surrey needed 13.3 overs to reach 111/5. In the last few overs, Laurie Evans struck for 22 off 19 balls, which helped Surrey reach 153/9 in their allotted 20 overs. Jake Ball got two wickets for Somerset, while Gregory and Josh Davey each grabbed three. As of this writing, Somerset has not yet begun his innings.
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