T20 Blast | Semi Final: Somerset bowlers do it with the bat, steal victory under Hampshire’s nose

“What an incredible game,” said Nasser Hussain in the commentary box and it was nothing short of incredible as Somerset scored 48 runs off the last 16 balls losing just one wicket on their way to a famous semi-finals win on the Finals day in the Vitality Blast 2021, England’s premier domestic T20 tournament. 

With all their top batting brass back in the hut and bowing all-rounders, lesser-known for their big-hitting abilities at the crease and 46 runs needed from the last three overs, nobody gave Somerset any chance to win, especially having lost their skipper and highest run-scorer in this innings, Tom Abell. 

The two bowlers left to ball the three overs and defend 45 runs had the figures of 1-10 from two overs (Bradley Wheal) and 2-8 from three overs (Chris Wood). The batters at the crease to face them were Ben Green (8 from 10 balls) and Craig Overton (1 from 1 ball). In such circumstances, no one in their right mind would think that Hampshire would lose the game and Somerset would win it. 

But what transpired in the next 16 balls was magical (if you ask a Somerset fan) and disastrous (if you ask a Hampshire fan) at the same time. After landing two good yorkers in the 18th over, Wheal was hit for four and two sixes, while there was a dropped catch on the fifth ball. 

The equation suddenly became 28 to get from 12 balls. Wood, who had been phenomenal up until then was called in. And as they say, pressure does its own tricks, the left-arm pacer bowled a full toss on the legs which Green deposited over the square leg boundary for a six, it was just over the boundary ropes though, but that’s all that was needed. Two doubles followed another harrowing six and the equation was suddenly just 12 runs needed from 8 balls.

However, just as everyone thought that the game was done, Wood got rid of Green and gave Hampshire another chance to take their fairy tale comeback story to the finale. With another double on the last ball, the equation became 10 from the last six balls and death over specialist Wheal had the ball. 

The specialist, however, looked really under pressure and surprising to say, didn’t use even a single slower ball, after a good yorker and a lucky full toss going just for a single, the equation came down to 8 from four balls and with Josh Lavy, a bowler at the crease, it was hoped that the match would be really going down to the wire. 

However, Wheal delivered a ball, which was fuller than good length and Lavy with the old bowler’s hoik hit it hard enough to just get it over diving long on for a six. And that was it, with two to win from the last three balls, skipper James Vince called in the field and Wheal missed another yorker which was flicked over the in-field for a four. 

Somerset players joined their hero with the bat and ball on the ground to celebrate a win which never seemed a possibility when they were 105-7 at the end of the 17th over. 

Earlier in the day, after inviting Hamphsiret to bat, having won the toss, Somerset had the match under their control throughout the first innings as they reduced them to 26-3 in the first four overs and then kept chipping away at their wickets. Joe Weatherley was the only Hampshire batter under control of things as he scored 71 off 50 balls and put together crucial stands with Liam Dawson, Chris Wood and James Fuller. 

Riding on that end of the innings momentum, Hampshire started brilliantly with the ball and reduced the team from Taunton to 34-5 in seven overs. From there on, Abell, first with Lewis Gregory and then with Green tried his best to get as close to the target as possible up until he was removed after completing his eighth T20 fifty.

Somerset now await the winners between the second semi-final between Sussex and Kent currently taking place at the same venue, Edgbaston.