That's the end of our coverage for this game. Do join us tomorrow for more cricketing action. This is me, Akshay Bhide, signing off on behalf of my co-commentator Tugral Azmi and scorer Raju. Tata. Bye Bye.
Paul Stirling | Player of the Match: "Nice way to start. First game and first win. Also, nice to get a few runs under the belt. The rain did help a little bit while batting. There was some movement with the new ball and it was sticking a little bit. But the wicket got better and better as the game progressed. Absolutely loved the fans here at Edgbaston. I love playing here at this venue and looking forward to playing in front of them this season."
Akshay: That’s the
end of the match. It was all about Paul Stirling tonight as he lit up the
ground in the first innings with some sensational striking as his innings laid
the foundation for a Bears win. A sensational 46 balls century from him helped
them complete a comprehensive victory over Northamptonshire by 125 runs. Warwickshire
Bears skipper Carlos Brathwaite won the toss and opted to bat first. They had a
solid start as they scored 60 at the end of the powerplay losing two wickets.
Rain arrived after six overs and there was a pause in play. The play resumed
with the game reduced to 16-overs per side. Paul Stirling went berserk as he
hit some fantastic strokes. He hit five consecutive sixes in James Sales’ single
over and a boundary of the last ball to score 34 in it. He brought up his
century off just 46 balls as the Northants’ bowlers had no answers against him. Stirling
was well-supported by Sam Hain. Hain raced to his fifty in no time. They both
hit some sensational strokes as it powered them to 207 at the end of their
innings. Stirling was dismissed on 119 and Hain remained unbeaten on 66. Ben
Sanderson of Northamptonshire picked up two wickets. It was a
monumental task ahead of the Northants. They didn’t have the best of the starts
as they lost Ben Curran in the second over. Chris Lynn hit a few boundaries but
it was a short stay for him as he was dismissed on 16. Their innings never got
going as none of the batters managed to stay at the crease. The Bears kept picking
up wickets at regular intervals as they knocked over the Northants on 81 to win
the game by 125 runs. Danny Briggs and Jacob Lintott picked up three wickets
apiece as they spun a web around the Northants. With this,
the Bears get off to a perfect start to this year’s Vitality T20 Blast. They
fired in unison and completed a comprehensive victory. The Northants never looked
in the game tonight and were completely outplayed by the Bears. They have to
quickly turn the tables around.
W WICKET!! Northamptonshire is all out on just 81 runs! Miles picks up his first wicket! Length delivery on the middle stump line, Heldriech shuffles across as he tries to pull it but gets an outside edge. Davies on behind the stumps takes a fantastic catch. Warwickshire won the match by 125 runs (DLS Method).
14.1 C Miles to F Heldreich
0 Miles around the wicket, fuller delivery on the off. Heldreich stands still and plays it straight to the long on fielder.