T20 Blast: Eoin Morgan smashes 83* off 29 balls as Middlesex pull off record run chase against Somerset

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England skipper Eoin Morgan continued to have a glorious summer as after powering England to a historic World Cup win, the southpaw starred in Middlesex’s spectacular victory over Somerset in T20 Blast on Friday. Morgan slammed an unbeaten 83 off 29 deliveries as Middlesex won the match by setting a record for highest run-chase in the tournament history. Their run chase surpasses the 226 Sussex scored to beat Essex 2014.

Batting first, Somerset set a total of 226/5 in 20 overs courtesy of a brilliant 47-ball 101 from skipper Tom Abell. His stunning innings included 13 boundaries and three sixes at a strike-rate of 214.8. Opener Tom Banton hit a half-century while Edward Byrom chipped in with a 20-ball 44.

Chasing the huge target, Middlesex lost David Malan, Paul Stirling and Mohammad Hafeez inside nine overs at the team score of 111. This is when Morgan joined AB de Villiers in the middle. The South Africa perished but Morgan went berserk soon after.

Morgan smashed five boundaries and eight sixes in his 29-ball innings as Middlesex chased down the record score with three overs and six wickets to spare. Morgan shared a 99-run partnership off 40 deliveries with George Scott to power his team over the line and seal a place in the quarter-final.

“Somerset played extremely well, especially not knowing what a good score is,” Morgan told BBC Radio London. “Going into the second half of the innings, we knew we’d have to be positive and play extremely well, but the way the guys started was outstanding.”

“With Dawid Malan and Paul Stirling at the top of order it allows us to go harder earlier because we have strength in depth throughout the batting line-up,” he added.