After another memorable summer, ecb.co.uk’s Rob Barnett has picked out the best moments he witnessed first hand in both international and domestic cricket.
England v Sri Lanka, first Royal London one-day international
It was ironic that Chris Jordan’s first outstanding all-round display for England came at the home of the county that had released him.
Surrey let an injury-prone Jordan go towards the end of the 2012 season. Since then he has enjoyed consistently sound fitness and form for Sussex and England.
It just so happened that Chris Adams, the former Surrey director of cricket who made the decision to release Jordan, was on the coaching staff of England’s opponents Sri Lanka for this tour.
Whether or not that gave Jordan extra motivation in the first of five Royal London one-day internationals, the all-rounder was pleased to perform well at the Kia Oval.
“I had a great six or seven years at Surrey and it is nice to come back and put in a man-of-the-match performance,” he said.
When Jordan came to the crease England, batting first, were teetering at 193 for six in the 36th over of an innings reduced to 39 by a two-and-a-half-hour rain delay.
He wasted no time with two fours in his first three balls.
Jordan punished Nuwan Kulasekara further during the seamer’s next over, a driven six over long-off coming between two sweetly-struck fours.
The powerful right-hander was lucky to inside-edge Lasith Malinga’s penultimate delivery of the innings to the boundary, but he responded to the world-renowned death bowler by repeating his previous maximum.
Jordan’s 13-ball 38 not out lifted England to 247 for six and gave the hosts important impetus.
Although Sri Lanka lost two early wickets, including the classy Kumar Sangakkara, fellow experienced stars Tillakaratne Dilshan and Mahela Jayawardene rebuilt before rain reduced the innings to 32 overs and the target to 226.
Jordan nipped the recovery in the bud immediately after the resumption, albeit Dilshan was unlucky to be caught at third man.
The bowler was briefly rested and soon returned with an over of searing pace in which he discomforted and ousted Dinesh Chandimal and Kulasekara to swing the game England’s way.
In his next set of six Jordan would have added Thisara Perera’s scalp if Harry Gurney had held a sharp chance at third man.
However, Sri Lanka were soon dismissed for 144 in the 28th over, leaving Jordan with figures of 3-23 from six.
Birmingham Bears v Surrey, NatWest T20 Blast semi-final
If one player deserved to reach the inaugural NatWest T20 Blast finals day, it was Jason Roy.
The Surrey star smashed 619 runs at a strike-rate of 152 to propel Surrey to the last four for a second straight year.
Roy’s tally included a remarkable eight fifties in 14 innings with a top score of 81 not out at home to Sussex Sharks.
The stage was set for the right-hander, widely touted for an England call, at a sold-out Edgbaston.
The size of his task grew as Birmingham Bears amassed 194 for four thanks chiefly to an unbeaten 81 from Will Porterfield.
However, the hosts’ score seemed insufficient when Roy raced out of the traps.
If a six and a four in the opening over, bowled by Rikki Clarke, whetted the batsman’s appetite, he tucked fully in during Clarke’s next by sending all six balls to the boundary, clearing the cover rope with the second delivery.
The second of two consecutive fours off Boyd Rankin raised a 19-ball half-century and had the hosts sweating.
Steven Davies then found his feet at the other end as the powerplay realised 78 for no wicket.
Yet in the next over Roy top-edged a slog-sweep against Jeetan Patel, the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, to depart for 58.
Despite Kevin Pietersen being next in, Surrey could not complete victory, depriving Roy of the chance to go for a 10th competition fifty.
The 24-year-old had some consolation in an England call-up a week laterand he made his senior international debut in the NatWest International T20 with India at the same venue.