Jordan Cox’s 58 who did not come off just 28 balls allowed Kent Spitfires to go 167-7 in the Vitality Blast final against Somerset, with Joe Denly taking 3-31 and Qais Ahmad 2-19 to restrict Somerset to 142-9 in answer in Edgbaston
Jordan Cox shined an undefeated half-century before starring in an extraordinary fielding piece when Kent Spitfires outscored Somerset by 25 runs to secure his first Vitality Blast title since 2007.
Cox hit 58 not out of 28 balls to rescue the Spitfires from a slump at Edgbaston mid-inning and ensure they posted a competitive 167-7 total.
Scorecard Somerset vs Kent
Spinner Roelof van der Merwe won 3-19 for Somerset, who have now lost four T20 finals in a row, but looked set to break that sequence after progressing to 61-2 in the ninth time of his reply.
However, they were down to 142-9. helped by Cox’s dazzling jump over the edge to avoid a six for Somerset captain Lewis Gregory, and instead set up the catch for his Spitfires teammate Matt Milnes.
At bat, Kent got off to a strong start rather than explosive when Zak Crawley and Daniel Bell-Drummond completed 44 of 32, but the momentum changed once Somerset turned to Van der Merwe.
The roulette wheel struck twice in the same number of deliveries, persuading Bell-Drummond to take him straight to the middle of the field before Joe Denly immediately gave him the charge and dodged, with Tom Abell running from the middle of the field. field to complete a magnificent over-the-shoulder catch.
Van der Merwe stopped the flow of runs, and when Kent captain Sam Billings brought him into cover, the Spitfires suddenly stuttered at 52-3.
Crawley (41 of 33) did his best to keep the innings together, but ultimately put Goldsworthy in the hands of a deep midwicket and it was left to Jack Leaning (27 of 29) and Cox to lead Kent’s comeback.
A sub-par total still seemed to be on the cards until Cox came to life during the final two overs, hitting Marchant de Lange for two sixes and then knocking 14 of the last three balls out of Josh Davey’s innings.
That punch lifted Kent’s spirits, who soared even higher after just 11 balls from Somerset’s response as they cut their opponents down to 3-2.
Tom Banton set off towards a golden duck, stumped as he lost his balance trying to lift Denly and then Goldsworthy tricked Fred Klaassen into pointing backwards, only for Will Smeed and Tom Abell (26 of 20) to drag the pendulum back to favor of the West. Countryside.
They both beat Denly by six and built a 58-of-40 partnership, which was eventually broken when Qais Ahmad caught Abell on the opposite side, and Smeed (43 of 32) followed shortly after an extraordinary incident.
Cox took a legitimate limit catch to fire Somerset’s first game, but because he had made contact with his teammate, outfielder Bell-Drummond, who slid onto the boundary mat, the umpires awarded a six instead.
Cox wasn’t furious for long, though: Two balls later, Smeed skipped a full pitch from Denly and gobbled up the catch again with enthusiasm. But the most striking fielding of the Kent player was yet to come.
Gregory’s play on the side of the leg, Darren Stevens, looked like a six, but Cox jumped over the edge and returned the ball to Milnes to complete the reception as Somerset’s collapse accelerated.
Denly finished 3-31, with Qais winning 2-19 and although Davey and De Lange later recovered, there was nothing they could do to deny the Spitfires the trophy.
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