Jamie Smith powers Surrey in Cardiff despite Ingram-Labuschagne stand
Written by I Dig SportsSurrey 200 for 8 (Smith 76) beat Glamorgan 181 for 7 (Labuschagne 58, Ingram 50) by 19 runs
The Glamorgan bowlers struggled to keep the Surrey scoring in check outside of the powerplay as Smith was well supported by the rest of a long batting line-up.
Ingram made 50 and Labuschagne scored 58 but it wasn't enough to secure victory as Surrey made it two from two in this year's Blast.
Glamorgan started brightly with the ball against a hugely powerful Surrey top order. Jamie McIlroy claimed the first wicket when Dan Lawrence skied a ball to Labuschagne for 13. When Timm van der Gugten got a ball to seam back into Jason Roy to bowl him for 11 and Surrey were 30 for 2 and Glamorgan had the upper hand.
The home team took further control in the next over when Dan Douthwaite dismissed Surrey captain Ollie Pope for a duck when he edged the ball through to wicketkeeper Chris Cooke. Surrey managed just 43 for 3 from their powerplay overs and were in need a recovery.
That is exactly what they got thanks to a hugely powerful innings from Smith that was aided by some sloppy fielding from Glamorgan. Smith was put down on 20 by Colin Ingram off the bowling of Mason Crane, a drop that would prove very costly. Smith raced to fifty from just 26 balls as he took to the Glamorgan spinners once the powerplay was done.
Laurie Evans was given a life on 23 when Douthwaite misjudged a chance at long-off that bounced over him for four runs, but he was dismissed off the next ball he faced when he was caught off the next ball to give Tom Bevan his first wicket of the season.
There were two further chances put down, albeit one of a no-ball, as Sean Abbott guided his team to a very competitive total with 24 not out from 14 balls.
The Start of the Glamorgan innings had an almost identical look to Surrey's effort with both teams making near identical scores in the powerplay for the loss of three wickets. The very strong Surrey seam attack claimed early wickets to peg back Glamorgan with Gus Atkinson dismissing Eddie Byrom, caught at mid-off for 10.
Glamorgan captain Kiran Carlson was dismissed in the next over when he got a thick edge that was well caught at third by Cameron Steel. When Sam Northeast attempted to launch a ball over the ring off the bowling of Jordan Clark he got height but not distance and was caught at mid on by Johnson to leave Glamorgan 30 for 3.
An Ingram and Labuschagne partnership of 99 meant the wickets stopped falling but they struggled to score quickly enough to stop the required run rate reaching nearly 14 an over by the halfway stage of the Glamorgan innings.
Both Ingram and Labuschagne fell just after their past fifty, with Ingram's run out due to a mix up between the pair signaling the end of Glamorgan's challenge in this match. Some late runs from Cooke briefly reignited the home crowd's hopes but he was left too much to do with 28 needed off the last over.