Tawanda Muyeye scored his first Vitality Blast century as Kent Spitfires beat Essex by 47 runs at Chelmsford on Friday night.
Muyeye was out for exactly 100 as Spitfires posted 219-3 before Matt Parkinson took 5-23 as Essex were bowled out for 172.
The 24-year-old now has 362 runs to his name in eight innings at an average of 45.25 this summer. If the accusation before was that Muyeye only makes runs in the powerplay, he’s starting to put the record straight, delivering on the potential that has been simmering away for some time.
After a relatively quiet start, having been asked to bat first, Muyeye greeted Simon Harmer with successive sixes at the start of the fourth over.
Essex’s Mohammad Amir thought he had Muyeye caught behind at the end of the fifth over but the umpire was unmoved despite a prolonged appeal.
Muyeye advanced to 42 runs off 22 balls in the powerplay, with Kent Spitfires 62-0.
Daniel Bell-Drummond, himself a T20 centurion this summer at Taunton, mis-timed a lofted drive to find a backpedalling Harmer at cover off Luc Benkenstein for 21 off 18.
Muyeye’s half-century came with a straight six off Noah Thain and Kent’s hundred soon followed in the 11th over.
Joe Denly returned from injury at three and hit Matt Critchley for three successive sixes in the 12th over. Muyeye added another maximum off the last ball of an over that went for 26.
Muyeye and Denly put on fifty in 22 balls and Essex’s body language looked every inch a side that had lost six games out of seven so far this summer.
Denly perished when Benkenstein took a well-judged catch in the deep off Harmer for 39 in 18 balls, including three sixes.
Muyeye moved into the nineties with a six off the last ball of Harmer’s over while he was joined by Sam Billings, who underlined his return to the runs with two lovely boundaries off Amir, who was the pick of the Essex attack with figures of 0-26 in four overs.
Muyeye’s hundred came off 58 balls with six fours and seven sixes, the celebration almost as memorable as the runs when he nearly stumbled over in delight.
But he perished off the next ball he faced, picking out Harmer at long-off to give Shane Snater (1-45) his only wicket.
Jack Leaning hit 14 off six balls while Billings progressed to 34 not out off just 18 balls as Spitfires closed their 20 overs on 219-3.
Spitfires made an early breakthrough when Tom Rogers bowled Michael Pepper for four at the end of the second over.
The fourth over of Essex’s reply bowled by Nathan Gilchrist saw the game spark into life with former Kent man Cox at the centre of it. Billings tried to run Cox out but his low throw from behind the stumps only knocked Cox’s bat out of his hand. Cox in turn kicked the ball away to point, which prompted words between the pair. Both umpires had to intervene and urge the players to calm down.
Cox hit the next ball for four as Gilchrist’s over went for 17 and got Essex’s reply into action, the hosts reaching 48-1 by the end of the powerplay.
Cox went in the ninth over, caught by Leaning in the deep after trying to hit Parkinson out of the ground. Billings’ send-off attracted the attention of both umpires again and led to another long discussion. Cox went for 21 off 18 balls.
Paul Walter was bowled off the next ball to leave Essex 67-3 and Parkinson was on a hat-trick, albeit he then bowled a wide.
Parkinson removed the sprightly Benkenstein in his next over for 19 off just seven balls, well held by substitute fielder Jaydn Denly as Essex reached 91-4 after 11 overs.
A fourth wicket for the spinner arrived in his final over, Critchley picking out Muyeye on the legside boundary for three.
Parkinson then bowled Elgar for 50 with his last delivery to finish with T20 best figures of 5-23 and Essex had slipped to 101-6.
Parkinson took a hat-trick on this ground against Middlesex last summer so it’s clearly a place he enjoys in the short form of the game despite its small boundaries.
Klaassen returned and picked up a wicket with the first ball, Charlie Allison picking out Bell-Drummond at cover.
Joey Evison (2-29) had Noah Thain caught by Jaydn Denly in his final over as Essex lost their eighth wicket in a chase that had long lost its way.
An excellent catch on the deep mid-wicket boundary by Harry Finch gave Evison a second wicket in as many balls as Snater went for a golden duck.
With Harmer partnered by last-man Amir, the Essex skipper turned down singles before hitting two sixes over long-on as Essex advanced to 134-9 with three overs left.
Klaassen’s final over went for 13 as his previously excellent figures took a dent, finishing with 1-28.
Harmer hit four sixes in a row off Rogers to give what was left of the Essex crowd something to cheer about in the penultimate over. But he was caught by Finch for 55 off just 21 balls with seven sixes and two fours as Spitfires completed a comprehensive victory.
