Hampshire vs Surrey — Hampshire won by 5 wickets (with 5 balls remaining)

Dawson’s Unbeaten 81 Steers Hampshire Home in Rose Bowl Thriller

Hampshire won by 5 wickets (with 5 balls remaining) in the 27th match of 112 in the T20 Blast 2026 at The Rose Bowl, Southampton. Liam Dawson produced a match-winning 81 not out off 46 balls to rescue Hampshire from 23/2 in the powerplay and overhaul Surrey‘s 174/8. Both sides are level on 8 points – Hampshire 6th (P3, W2, L1) and Surrey 4th (P3, W2, L1) – in a tightly contested South Group.

First Innings: Surrey 174/8 (20 overs)

Jason Roy set the tone from ball one. He smashed 32 off 18 deliveries – two fours and three sixes at a strike rate of 178 – before being caught at 54/2 in the sixth over. Will Jacks contributed 15 off 13 (one four, one six) before falling at 40/1, and Ollie Pope made 8 off 8 before being caught at 71/3 in the eighth over.

Sam Curran was the anchor, compiling 38 off 29 balls with four fours and a six at 131 SR. He added crucial runs through the middle overs with Daniel Lawrence (17 off 14) and Laurie Evans (15 off 12, two fours). Lawrence fell at 96/4 (10.6 overs), Evans at 124/5 (14.2 overs), and Tom Curran blasted 7 off 3 balls with a six before being caught at 133/6.

Sam Curran’s departure at 140/7 (17.1 overs) could have stalled the innings, but Jordan Clark had other ideas. His 34 not out off just 12 balls – one four and four sixes at a strike rate of 283 – was the innings of a man who treats every delivery as a scoring opportunity. With Sean Abbott run out for 3 at 143/8, Clark’s pyrotechnics and Yousef Majid‘s steadying 0 not out off 5 balls lifted Surrey to a competitive 174/8.

Scott Currie led Hampshire’s bowling with 4-0-24-2 at an economy of 6. Manny Lumsden took 4-0-29-2 at 7.25, and James Fuller contributed 4-0-26-2 at 6.5. Liam Dawson went wicketless from his four overs but conceded only 28. Chris Wood bore the brunt of Clark’s assault, finishing with 4-0-63-1 at an economy of 15.75.

Second Innings: Hampshire 177/5 (19.1 overs)

Hampshire’s chase started disastrously. James Vince fell for 2 off 6 balls at 21/1 in the third over, and Joe Weatherley followed two balls later for 1 at 23/2. Tom Curran was doing the damage, and Surrey sensed blood.

Toby Albert counter-attacked with stunning aggression – 30 off just 15 balls with two fours and three sixes at a strike rate of 200. His 12-ball cameo at the top of the order bought Hampshire time and brought Dawson to the crease at 35/3 (4.2 overs) when Albert was caught.

From that moment, Dawson controlled the chase. He added 51 with Tom Prest (25 off 17, two fours and a six at 147 SR), who fell at 86/4 in the 10th over. Then came the match-defining partnership – 83 off 54 balls between Dawson and Tristan Stubbs (31 off 26, one six at 119 SR). The pair took the chase from 86/4 to 169/5, picking off boundaries with increasing confidence.

Stubbs fell at 169/5 (18.3 overs) with 6 still needed, but Dawson was immovable. He finished on 81 not out off 46 balls – four fours and five sixes at a strike rate of 176 – and Hilton Cartwright (1 not out off 1 ball) was there when Hampshire crossed the line with five balls to spare.

Tom Curran was excellent with 4-0-33-3 at an economy of 8.25 – his three early wickets nearly turned the match. Reece Topley took 4-0-39-2 at 9.75. Will Jacks was the most economical at 3-0-16-0. Jordan Clark (3-0-33-0), Sean Abbott (3.1-0-29-0), and Yousef Majid (2-0-25-0) all went wicketless.

Statz MVP: Liam Dawson (Hampshire)

Dawson’s MI Rating of 114.67 reflects the scale of his contribution – 81 not out off 46 balls to win the match, plus tidy figures of 4-0-28-0 with the ball. The Statz rating system calculates impact based on match context, and walking in at 35/3 chasing 175 and seeing your team home is about as high-context as it gets. No official Man of the Match was awarded.

Top 5 Statz Ratings

Turning Point

Toby Albert caught at 35/3 in over 4.2. It sounds counterintuitive – losing a third wicket should have buried Hampshire. But Albert’s explosive 30 off 15 balls had wrested back momentum after Curran’s double strike, and his dismissal brought Liam Dawson to the crease at exactly the right moment. Dawson’s arrival at the crisis point turned the match – without Albert’s counter-attack buying time and shifting the pressure, Dawson would have walked into a very different situation.

Match Context

Match 27 of 112 in the T20 Blast 2026. Hampshire move to 6th in the South Group (P3, W2, L1, 8 points), while Surrey sit 4th (P3, W2, L1, 8 points). Both sides are well placed for qualification, but Hampshire will feel the greater momentum after this comeback win. Dawson’s match-winning performance underlines their depth – even when the top order crumbles, they have match-winners in the middle order capable of chasing any total.

Full scorecard on Statz