Madsen first to 200 points milestone in T20 PCA MVP Rankings Derbyshire batsman Wayne Madsen has become the first player to reach the 200 points landmark in the Professional Cricketers’ Association Most Valuable Player Rankings for this season’s NatWest T20 Blast. Madsen, who was voted the PCA Player of the Month for July, moved to 211 points in the competition with a 22 points match haul in Friday’s win over Worcestershire at Derby. Madsen made 55, his fourth half century of the season, and then took one for 20 with his off-spin, which took him to the top of the competition rankings at the end of the group stage. Thanks to Madsen’s outstanding form throughout the competition, Derbyshire finished second in the North group and secured their first home quarter-final in 12 years. They will now face Hampshire at Derby on Tuesday. Yorkshire’s David Willey and Kent’s Joe Denly, who finished second and third in the Blast rankings at the end of the group stage, will not have the opportunity to add to their points tally as their counties missed out on the quarter-finals. But Glamorgan’s South Africa all-rounder Colin Ingram, currently fourth in the rankings, Nottinghamshire’s Alex Hales (seventh) and Leicestershire’s New Zealand wicketkeeper/batsman Luke Ronchi (eighth) will all have the chance to improve their final placings. Yorkshire batsman Adam Lyth moved into second place in the all-time best single innings performance in T20 cricket since the PCA MVP Rankings were introduced after he slammed a record 161 against Northamptonshire at Headingley. Lyth’s was the highest score in T20 cricket in this country and the third-highest in the world. His runs came from just 73 balls at a rate of 2.21 and he contributed almost 62 per cent of Yorkshire’s 260 for four – the highest T20 total in England. Lyth’s innings earned him 47.29 PCA MVP points a haul that has only been beaten in the Blast by Brendon McCullum whose 64-ball 158 for Warwickshire against Derbyshire two years ago earned 47.33 rankings points. The PCA MVP Rankings system identifies the match-winners and key influencers of matches throughout the domestic season. The formula takes into account conditions, quality of opposition, captaincy and strike-rates as well as runs scored and wickets taken. Kent opener Joe Denly is eighth on the all-time list of single innings performances in T20 cricket for his competition-best 127 from 66 balls against Essex at Chelmsford. It was Denly’s second T20 century of the season and gave him 41 rankings points. Varun Chopra responded with 116, also his second Blast century of the season, from 59 balls which was not quite enough to take Essex to victory but which took him to 16th in the list of all-time single innings T20 performances in the PCA MVP. Chopra’s 40 points haul was also Essex’s best T20 performance in the rankings. There was also a county-best T20 performance from Leicestershire’s Cameron Delport who made a career-best 109 not out from 59 balls against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge. The South African left-hander contributed 54 per cent of Leicestershire’s runs and he then took a wicket to help thwart Nottinghamshire and book a place in the quarter-finals. Delport’s haul of 39 batting points took him to 27th place in the all-time list of single innings performances in the PCA MVP. Although batsmen enjoyed themselves in the final week of Blast group matches there were also some notable bowling performances. Yorkshire off-spinner Azeem Rafiq completed the rout of Northamptonshire by taking five for 19 which brought 32 PCA MVP bowling points. Surrey paceman Sam Curran took a career-best four for 13, including a triple wicket maiden, and earned 25 rankings points in the victory over Gloucestershire at the Oval. Rikki Clarke, who has rejoined Surrey on loan from Warwickshire for the rest of the season ahead of permanent move, took four for 16, his career-best figures, in his 14th T20 match to clinch victory over Kent at Canterbury. Clarke finished the match with 22 rankings points, 20 of them for his bowling. Nottinghamshire all-rounder Samit Patel still leads the overall PCA MVP Rankings with 442 points in all competitions, with Ingram second on 395 points and Surrey’s former Sri Lanka batsman Kumar Sangakkara third on 382. To see the full PCA MVP table click here. {{ak_sharing}}
