Patel puts up MVP fight

15 September 2008

Samit Patel clubbed 78 with the bat against Sussex to propel him into second

Samit Patel has closed to within 68 points of Martin van Jaarsveld in the overall MVP after a fine all-round performance against Sussex at Trent Bridge in the NatWest Pro40.

Patel's 78 from 84 balls and 3-36 from his full allocation of eight overs has seen him leapfrog Ryan McLaren into second spot overall, while he lies fifth in the NatWest Pro40 MVP.

The other big mover in the overall top 10 was Dimitri Mascarenhas, who led Hampshire to the top of the table in the LV County Championship with performances with bat and ball at the Brit Oval.

Mascarenhas scored 99 in the first innings of the match before rattling out Surrey in the last with 4-13. He jumps to fourth overall and second in the LVCC MVP where he trails van Jaarsveld by just six points.

James Tomlinson also got in on the act against Surrey taking 2-51 and 3-58 to maintain his challenge for the LVCC MVP. Tomlinson is in third in what is now a three-horse race, two points behind Mascarenhas, having taken 64 wickets in the competition.

Steve Davies has wrapped up the NatWest Pro40 MVP and will have the opportunity of adding to his points tally in the play-off next week. He has scored 417 runs including two centuries against Lancashire and Gloucestershire. The left-handed wicketkeeper was a key figure in Worcestershire's Pro40 triumph last season and his form could be a crucial factor in their fight for first division survival.

Marcus Trescothick finishes in second place in the NatWest Pro40 MVP with 556 runs, including two big hundreds but a score of eight against Lancashire in Somerset's final match meant he could make no impression on Davies' lead. The former England opener slips to seventh in the overall MVP and to second in the leading run-scorers top 10 behind van Jaarsveld.

Graeme Swann ends his NatWest Pro40 campaign in third spot after contributing 136 runs and 13 wickets to the Nottinghamshire cause. He took 3-33 in the crunch game against Sussex but still ended on the losing side.