Natwest T20 Blast wrap - Afridi, Sammy star in Hampshire's narrow win

[[JUGRAJ SINGH]]

South Group

Hampshire vs Kent

All-round contributions from overseas recruits Shahid Afridi and Darren Sammy helped Hampshire beat Kent by nine runs at The Rose Bowl in Southampton on Thursday (June 2). Batting first, Hampshire never got momentum in the first ten overs as Michael Carberry scored a 53-ball 54.

Shahid Afridi hit a 14-ball 21 and the West Indies T20 skipper Darren Sammy hit a 15-ball 27 to provide the much-needed impetus in the end, to take their side to a competitive 158 in 20 overs. Matt Coles picked up four wickets for Kent.

In reply, openers Daniel Bell-Drummond and Joe Denly gave the visitors the perfect start with a 75-run opening stand. But they failed to make use of the situation and continued losing wickets at regular intervals. Afridi ended up picking three and Sammy fetched a couple as the visitors were all out for 149 in the end. Bell-Drummond top-scored with 64.

Brief scores: Hampshire 158 for 8 in 20 overs (Michael Carberry 54, Darren Sammy 27, Matt Coles 4-27) beat Kent 149 in 19.3 overs (Daniel Bell-Drummond 64, Joe Denly 31, Shahid Afridi 3-33) by nine runs

Middlesex vs Gloucestershire

Half-centuries from Paul Stirling and Adam Voges went in vain as Gloucestershire beat Middlesex in thrilling fashion by four wickets with one ball to spare. Irish batsman Stirling hit an entertaining 43-ball 60 that consisted of five fours and three sixes after Brendon McCullum failed to make a mark on his debut for the club.

Once he was dismissed in the 16th over, the hosts lost a flurry of wickets and were restricted to 159 with Voges remaining unbeaten on 52 in the end. Chasing 160 for a victory, the visitors made a wobbly start as they lost their openers with just 16 on the board. Ian Cockbain and Chris Dent then added 65 for the third wicket when the former fell for 40. Dent was then dismissed for 45 with his side needing 40 to win off 27 deliveries.

The equation was down to nine from the final over which was later brought down to seven from the final three balls. Gareth Roderick broke the home side's hearts by smashing a four and a six off the next two deliveries to help his side win with one ball to spare. Benny Howell was named the player of the match for picking up two wickets.

Brief scores: Middlesex 159 for 9 in 20 overs (Paul Stirling 60, Adam Voges 52*, Benny Howell 2-23) lost to Gloucestershire 163 for 6 in 19.5 overs (Chris Dent 45, Ian Cockbain 40, Toby Roland-Jones 2-28) by four wickets

North Group

Worcestershire vs Yorkshire

Alexei Kervezee and Joe Leach starred for Worcestershire in their Natwest T20 Blast encounter against Yorkshire in New Road, Worcester as the hosts won by seven wickets. Leech first starred with the ball by dismissing the Yorkshire middle order cheaply with three wickets. The visitors still managed to recover and posted 173 on the board thanks to Liam Plunkett's stunning cameo (34* from 10 balls).

Tim Bresnan helped him out at the other end with an unbeaten 13-ball 29. In reply, Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Daryl Mitchell gave the hosts a decent start but were dismissed by the seventh over. Joe Clarke chipped in with a 23-ball 34 and when he was dismissed in the 12th over, the game was pretty much in balance with the hosts needing 66 from 49 deliveries.

Kervezee and Brett D'Oliveira played sensibly and got the runs quickly without taking risks as Worcestershire won with five balls to spare. Kervezee remained unbeaten on 52 off just 37 deliveries. Liam Plunkett also starred with the ball by picking up two wickets but then saw his all-round efforts go in vain.

Brief scores: Yorkshire 173 for 6 in 20 overs (Alex Lees 46, Liam Plunkett 34*, Joe Leach 3-33) lost to Worcestershire 174 for 3 in 19.1 overs (Alexei Kervezee 52*, Brett D'Oliveira 34*, Liam Plunkett 2-29) by seven wickets