T20 Blast 2022 | KT vs SOM | Rossouw, Abell's assault strangulates Kent

The second match of the Vitality T20 Blast 2022 saw Somerset defeat Kent by gunning down a score of 163 runs in the 20th over, with Rilee Rossouw and Tom Abell were the major contributors with the bat. 

Opting the bat first, Kent had a tough time negating the new ball at the pitch of St Lawrence Ground, Canterbury. The likes of Lewis Gregory, Josh Davey and Ben Green bowled their hearts out, reducing Kent to tatters in the early half of the innings.

Zak Crawley, Daniel Bell-Drummond, Joe Denly and Sam Billings failed big time as the Somerset pacers blew away Kent, leaving them in a stale position as they were left befuddled at 38/4 after eight overs.

While it seemed the innings would go further downhill, Jack Leaning emerged as a saviour. Leaning and George Linde led Kent on the way to recovery.

Suddenly, the runs rained all over, with Leaning and Linde doing the bulk of the damage. While Leaning remained unbeaten on 72 runs, Linde lent him crucial support through his 15-ball 29.

Grant Stuart nailed a couple of boundaries in the final overs as Kent finished the innings at 162/6.

The run-chase did not start smoothly for Somerset as they lost their opener Tom Banton in the fourth over. Will Smeed also perished at the hands of Fred Klaassen for 21 runs.

That's all the success Kent enjoyed with the ball. Rossouw and Abell smashed a 121-run partnership and helped Somerset breeze past the set total.

The duo led an assault and made short work of the target, taking Kent's bowlers to the cleaners. Rossouw and Abell remained unbeaten at 81 and 48 runs, respectively, ensuring that Somerset gets their first win of the tournament by eight wickets.

Brief scores:

Kent - 162/6 (20)

Jack Leaning 72*(43), George Linde 29(15);

Lewis Gregory 3-25 (4), Josh Davey 1-18 (4)

Somerset - 166/2 (19.1)

Rilee Rossouw 81*(54), Tom Abell 48*(29);

Fred Klaassen 1-21 (3.1), Matt Milnes 1-36 (4)

Somerset won by eight wickets.