Napier crowned Twenty20 MVP

30 July 2008

Graham Napier kept his hold on the PCA MVP after hitting a brutal 152 against Sussex

Graham Napier capped an outstanding Twenty20 Cup campaign by winning the PCA MVP for the competition.

The all-rounder may have suffered the disappointment of seeing his Essex side beaten by Kent in the semi-finals on Saturday, but he can take some solace in topping the rankings.

He found instant fame for his sensational 152 not out off just 52 balls against Sussex in the group stages, and never relinquished his hold on the number one spot.

Napier finished with 326 runs at a strike-rate of 195 and 16 wickets with an economy rate of just over 7 to take the crown won last year by Sussex all-rounder Luke Wright.

Middlesex’s Twenty20 Cup triumph owed much to Tyrone Henderson, whose finals day heroics earned him runners-up spot in the MVP.

The South African all-rounder smashed 59 off 21 deliveries in the semi-final victory over Durham, and hit a rapid 43 and bowled the crucial last over in the three-run success over Kent in the final.

He scored 281 runs in the competition at a strike-rate of almost 200, as well as taking 21 wickets with an economy rate of 7.43.

Third, fourth and fifth spots are also occupied by all-rounders, with Northamptonshire’s Andrew Hall and Kent duo Azhar Mahmood and Yasir Arafat rewarded for their impressive campaigns with bat and ball.

Kent are also represented by Twenty20’s leading run-scorer in Joe Denly, who finished sixth in the MVP, while Yorkshire’s Anthony McGrath, Middlesex off-spinner Shaun Udal, Leicestershire’s Jim Allenby and Abdul Razzaq of Surrey complete the top 10.