The night at Taunton was run-filled like confetti, but only one team had the right to dance at the end. Somerset, while chasing a massive target of 229, looked like they were cruising for most of the innings. Tom Banton was at it again, reverse-scooping and lofting with salaried bombasticism whilst Kohler-Cadmore’s role gave Kent a few butterflies. Heartache at home ultimately saw them still lose by 4 runs, after making 224. But what went wrong for the maroon-clad brigade?
Chase Crushed: Somerset Bowlers Run Riot
Let’s address the big issue in the dugout: Somerset’s bowling line-up was butchered. Tawanda Muyeye and Daniel Bell-Drummond were particularly savage in the powerplay, achieving 158 for the first wicket after only 13.2 overs. Not merely a partnership, this was a full-on mugging. Bell-Drummond managed to carve a century off only 49 balls, and looked like he was wielding a lightsaber against a Somerset attack that seemed almost helpless.
Of the bowling, at least Meredith took 3 wickets, but he also leaked runs at almost 11.25 an over. Gregory had a particularly rough time, his 3 overs for 51 looking more like punishment than bowling. It’s fair to expect a high-scoring game at Taunton, but to concede 228 runs when your spinners are going at just over 6.5 and your pace bowlers are going for over 13 per over – that’s a whole different issue.
Joey Evison’s Middle-Overs Mayhem Changed Everything
And then there was the pivot – Joey Evison’s double whammy, and Kent’s squeeze in the middle overs. Somerset were bowled out for 91 in less than 7 overs. Banton lit the fire, and Somerset was not only alive in the chase but ahead of the rate. The narrative took a turn, and its name was Evison. First up, Kohler-Cadmore, violent at a strike rate of 190, was out. Then, the captain Lewis Gregory’s apathy,2, and the spine of the chase was broken. Somerset, in overs 14 -16, had added 9 runs and lost 2 wickets.
This was the crack in the game. Although Sean Dickson and Ben Green provided a glimmer of potential rescue with one last hurrah, the momentum had been lost. Evison, 4-0-24-2, is probably not going to headline it, but in a match of sixes and pandemonium, his cool head was priceless.
Lack of Finishing Power
There was a finality to Somerset’s finish that Kent simply didn’t share. Look, if you need 19 from the last over at Taunton, the game isn’t over. But to be needing 19 from the last over without Banton or a set batter is game over. Just as Ben Green turned up the volume with three towering hits, the plug was pulled four balls into the 19th—Somerset left mid-song.
Rather than teeing off from there, Somerset relied on Craig Overton and Sean Dickson, and no knock to them, but they are not considered your reliable death overs destroyers. Kent kept the foot on the pedal to the end, including 28 runs in their last two overs. Somerset just didn’t have the finishers to pull off that heist, namely without their middle-order embarrassment under pressure.
How then did Somerset let this thriller slip from their grasp? A bowling unit that could not restrict even a picnic basket, a timely choke in the middle overs thanks to Evison’s equally underrated spell, and no great finishers in the last act. On another night, perhaps, Banton’s blitz or Green’s sixes would have done the heavy lifting and gotten them back home.
Disclaimer: This Exclusive News is based on the author’s understanding, analysis, and instinct. As you review this information, consider the points mentioned and form your own conclusions.
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