Warwickshire 341 for 4 (Barnard 140, Jani 66, Malik 58) beat Surrey 296 (Sibley 74, Blake 71, Hannon-Dalby 5-60) by 45 runs
Warwickshire opened their Metro Bank One-Day Cup account at the fourth attempt with a solid 45-run victory over Surrey at Edgbaston.
On their inaugural List A visit to Edgbaston, on July 6, 1969, Surrey put Warwickshire in and bowled them out for 86. Clearly with this in mind, they chose to insert again, but this time the Bears breezed past 86 for one wicket in the 16th over. Rob Yates skied Ryan Patel’s fourth ball to mid-wicket but Barnard charged to a 54-ball half-century including 40 in fours and sixes.
While Malik followed to a fluent fifty from 63 balls, Barnard was imperious, posting his sixth List A century from 99 balls. The second-wicket pair added 147 from 25 overs before Malik inched out of the crease at Tom Ealham and was smartly stumped by substitute wicketkeeper Alex Dodson, on for Blake who had left the field injured.
Tom Lawes, also released by Sunrisers Leeds, finally removed Barnard, caught at deep extra. Jani kept the momentum high with a 34-ball half-century but Surrey stuck to their task well on a good batting pitch to ensure the target was tall but not towering.
Their reply started solidly as Sibley and Patel added 52 in 63 balls before the latter dragged on a pull at Ethan Bamber. Brilliant fielding from George Garton accounted for the next two wickets. A direct hit on the turn from cover did for Adam Thomas before a diving catch at point dispatched Rory Burns to supply 16-year-old Charlie Taylor, on his home debut with a deserved first List A wicket.
Sibley passed 50 in 59 balls but, with the required rate rising, slogged Hannon-Dalby to deep mid-wicket. Blake’s strokeplay started to worry the home fans but when he lifted Barnard to mid-wicket, Surrey were left needing heroics from a highly inexperienced lower order. Lawes (40, 31) landed some beefy blows but when he became another Garton victim, this time an ice-cool catch on the cover boundary off Hannon-Dalby, the game was up.
