Sam Billings’ Spectacular 106* Drives Kent’s Thrilling Comeback Victory Over Somerset
Sam Billings orchestrated a remarkable turnaround as Kent Spitfires triumphed over Somerset with a nail-biting four-wicket win, clinching victory with just four balls to spare in an electrifying Vitality Blast showdown at Canterbury.
The visitors’ Will Smeed sets the pace, but the Kent captain leads the 198-run chase.
Somerset 197 for 6 (Smeed 68, Kohler-Cadmore 42) lost to Kent 198 for 6 (Billings 106*) by four wickets.
In the fifth over, Kent was down 37 for 4, but Billings saved them with a brilliant innings of 106 from 66 balls, which included 14 fours and two sixes.
The captain of the Spitfires was out in the 19th over, but Joey Evison struck the final six runs to seal a thrilling comeback for the hosts, who ended at 198 for six. Kent only needed six runs from the final six balls.
Earlier, Somerset amassed 197 for six thanks to a brilliant 68 from 30 balls from Will Smeed. Tom Kohler-Cadmore was the next highest scorer with 42. Kent equaled their Blast record with two wickets from Matt Parkinson and four catches from Zak Crawley after they had conceded 95 runs in eight overs for the first wicket.
Somerset was asked to bat, and while Smeed occasionally had luck on his side, in the eighth over he creamed Evison for eighteen runs, only to knock the last ball to Tawanda Muyeye on the boundary.
Marcus O’Riordan watched Tom Banton charge down the wicket and stumped him off a wide three balls later for 26. Crawley then took Abell for 12 yards after covering 40 yards to get him trapped at deep midwicket by Parkinson.
Before he skyed Parkinson to Crawley, Sean Dickson made 26 from 18, and Crawley grabbed his third catch when Kohler-Cadmore misplayed a full toss from Beyers Swanepoel.
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After hitting Bartlett’s penultimate delivery of the innings to Crawley on the cow corner boundary, Lewis Gregory was out for twelve. However, Crawley immediately smashed Overton’s first ball of the Kent reply straight to Roelof van der Merwe.
After that, Overton dismissed Daniel Bell-Drummond for three and removed Muyeye for fifteen by a wonderful diving catch off Sonny Baker. O’Riordan was subsequently dismissed for fourteen after hitting Jake Ball straight to Smeed at fly slip.
After an exciting 109-run stand by Billings and Denly pulled Kent back into the game, the latter went for 32 after trying to ramp Ball and getting caught by Baker.
18th over turned out to be crucial. After Billings smeared Gregory over cover to reach his century, he gave a baby-rocking motion and leaped into the air in celebration. After that, Evison made consecutive fours, leaving Kent to require just ten runs from the final two.
After Dickson caught Billings on the boundary, Kent still needed six off the last over, but Evison finished with a spectacular victory by cutting van der Merwe’s opening ball for four and scrambling two off the next delivery.
