When he Jack Davies was caught at point during Saturday’s Vitality Blast match with Middlesex, Gareth Batty became the second man to 100 T20 wickets for Surrey.
The 42-year-old off-spinner is in his 11th T20 campaign for the Club since returning from Worcestershire in 2010.
It’s taken him 126 matches to reach the three figures for Surrey, on top of the 41 wickets he amassed during 47 appearances for Worcestershire.
Batty is second on the all-time list in the format for Surrey behind Jade Dernbach, who’s on 114.
Closest to him is the now retired Azhar Mahmood on 82 but it’s Tom Curran on 72 who may well disrupt that top two in the years to come.
Going at an average of just over 26 and an economy rate a fraction over seven is nothing to be sniffed at and, as Batty said earlier this summer, it has required constant evolution to keep up with the ever changing dimensions of T20 cricket at the top end of the game.
Although he now occupies a player/coach role at The Kia Oval, Batty has also acted as stand-in captain in 2020 with Dernbach currently out injured.
Here we look back at some of the most memorable wickets and figures from Batty’s long career in South London.
FIRST WICKET
Having gone wicketless in his first two matches, Batty took centre stage on the biggest stage of all. He really announced himself for Surrey with 4/23 that stood out in a nine wicket victory over Middlesex at Lord’s.
While three of the four were tailenders Tom Smith, Shaun Udal & Tim Murtagh, the first was a name of different calibre entirely. Australian legend Adam Gilchrist, opening up for Middlesex, tried to send Batty over cow corner but was only caught by Chris Schofield.
BEST FIGURES
Those figures in 2010 were impressive but he was to make them look average at the same ground just two years later. Having set their hosts 150 to win, Surrey went into the field against a star-studded Middlesex team.
Stuart Meaker made the early breakthrough but then it was Batty who took the innings by the scruff of the neck, dismissing youngsters Dawid Malan & Paul Stirling, Gareth Berg and Australian Chris Rogers. 4/13, a man of the match award and another London Derby victory.
MOST PROLIFIC SEASON
2017 saw Batty take 14 wickets across just 11 matches alongside his Club captaincy duties. It wasn’t a great year for the team as a whole in the competition but Batty can look back with pride on his personal achievements that season.
He even came within one run of matching his best figures. Yet again at Lord’s, the off-spinner took 4/14 against Middlesex in his standout performance of the season.
100TH WICKET
Building on the incredible start from Will Jacks & Gus Atkinson in the behind closed doors London Derby at The Kia Oval on Saturday, Batty came into the attack at the halfway point.
With Middlesex struggling to find scoring solutions, Jack Davies played a reverse sweep straight to the waiting Reece Topley at backward point.
