Dom Sibley, Sam Curran power Surrey to Finals Day at Durham’s expense

Surrey 164 for 5 (Sibley 67, Curran 52) beat Durham 162 for 8 (Jones 37, Worrall 2-14) by five wickets

Dominic Sibley and Sam Curran shared a stand of 95 in 63 balls as Surrey romped to Vitality Blast final’s day with a five-wicket win over Durham at the Kia Oval.

Former England opener Sibley plundered 67 in 48 balls (two sixes and six fours) while Curran, who made a hundred earlier in the competition, hit 52 in 34 balls, including four sixes as the hosts chased down a target of 163 with 12 balls to spare.

The fact they needed so many was credit to the visitors who fought back from 69 for 6 thanks to 37 from Michael Jones, 24 in 15 from Bas De Leede and a gem of a cameo from Ben Raine (23 from 8) to post 162 for 8. Dan Worrall (2 for 14) and Reece Topley (2 for 20) wreaked havoc in the powerplay for Surrey.

Thanks to Worrall and Topley, Surrey dominated early on. Durham’s leading scorer in the competition, Graham Clark, spooned the fifth ball from Worrall to Jordan at extra cover and Ollie Robinson chewed up 11 balls swinging and missing before being bowled by Topley.

Worrall cleaned up Alex Lees with a brute of a yorker and although Brydon Carse struck his first ball over the ropes, he left soon afterwards edging Topley to wicketkeeper Burns.

Colin Ackerman was run out by a brilliant direct hit from Sam Curran and when Ashton Turner’s brief counterattack (26 from 21) was ended by Sibley’s catch at deep square Durham were 69 for 6 in the 13th over.

Scottish international Jones hit back, clubbing Jordan over extra for six. De Leede, who survived a bungled run-out attempt by Burns, followed suit as the pair raised a 50-stand in 30 balls before Sam Curran bowled De Leede off his pads.

Jones though kept swinging and Raine (23 from 8), twice cleared the ropes in the final over bowled by Jordan to take the visitors to 162.

Buoyed by taking 92 from the last seven, Durham began well in the field, Carse striking twice in five balls to remove first the dangerous Will Jacks and then Laurie Evans caught at slip.

Two men who not so long ago were opening for England, Rory Burns and Sibley were trusted with steadying the ship and the latter defied his reputation as something of a plodder with four boundaries in the powerplay.

The introduction of spin for the first time on the night in the shape of Callum Parkinson was the undoing of Burns, who hoisted him to safe hands in the deep.

Sam Curran joined Sibley as the run-rate rose, 30 balls ticking by without a boundary before the former broke the shackles with a huge six off Nathan Sowter. Parkinson was similarly dispatched.

De Leede spurned the chance to take the England all-rounder’s scalp when he dropped a tough caught and bowled with Curran on 31 and with that the hosts assumed complete command.

Sibley went to 50 with a glorious six over mid-on before Curran struck a delivery from Sowter almost clean out of The Oval.

Only 15 were needed when Sibley fell and though Curran too left before the end, Surrey got home comfortably.