Maddy masterclass crushes Northants
Darren Maddy scored 88 from 42 balls as Warwickshire crushed Northants by eight wickets at Edgbaston
03-Jun-2010
Darren Maddy made a triumphant return to short-format cricket as Warwickshire launched their Friends Provident t20 campaign with an eight-wicket win against Northamptonshire at Edgbaston.
After missing last year's Twenty20 Cup because of a knee injury, the former Leicestershire allrounder thrashed 88 - including 11 fours and six sixes - from 42 balls as Warwickshire charged home with 5.5 overs to spare.
A withering assault on Andrew Hall took Maddy to 50 from only 27 deliveries. Having smashed two sixes and four when the South African entered he attack, he followed up with 18 in his second over.
Northants' total of 147 for 5 proved to be well below-par. Warwickshire scooted to 50 in the fifth over and reached 100 in the ninth. If anything, the loss of pinch-hitter Neil Carter, run out by Nicky Boje, speeded up the victory.
Jim Troughton, although outpaced by the inspired Maddy, contributed 39 to a stand of 116 from 53 balls and finished unbeaten with 41 after his partner had holed out to long off in the 12th over.
Northamptonshire's batting also centred on a player returning to Twenty20 cricket. A calf injury sidelined Mal Loye last year, and now back with his first county after seven seasons with Lancashire, he cracked seven fours and a six from 48 balls.
Reaching fifty for the ninth time in Twenty20, he saw his side through to 98 for 3 in the 14th over before he was deceived in the flight and bowled by Imran Tahir for 54.
The Pakistan-born leg spinner was the one bowler to seriously put the brakes on Northamptonshire when taking 3 for 14 without conceding a boundary in his four overs.
Loye and Niall O'Brien, the latter patched up for this competition after breaking his left index finger, made 29 in an opening partnership of 65 before Ant Botha held a one-handed catch at cover in Tahir's first over.
Boje, smartly stumped by young keeper Richard Johnson, was another victim for Tahir and the first four wickets went to spin with Rob White caught at long-on off Botha