Surrey Triumphs Over Somerset: Jamie Smith’s 87 Powers Dramatic Victory
Jamie Smith delivered a sensational performance, scoring 87 from 38 balls to propel Surrey to a total of 163.
Smith’s dynamic innings included a partnership of 111 runs off 56 balls with Ollie Pope, showcasing aggressive yet strategic batting. Despite a late collapse triggered by Somerset’s Ben Green, who claimed three wickets in a single over, Surrey posted a competitive total.
Somerset 106 (Abbott 3-8, T Curran 3-16) lost to Surrey 163 (Smith 87, Green 4-32) by a margin of 57 runs.
Surrey defeated Somerset, who had defeated them in the previous year’s semi-final, by winning three straight Vitality Blast matches thanks to a brilliant knock of 87 off 38 balls by Jamie Smith.
The Surrey batsman scored his second consecutive Blast fifty, combining with Ollie Pope for a partnership of 111 from 56 before Somerset’s Ben Green caused an incredible collapse. Green collected three wickets in an over at the Kia Oval as the home team lost their final six for 11 runs and collapsed to 163 all out. Green helped seal Somerset’s semi-final victory en way to the 2023 title.
However, Somerset was unable to form partnerships in response, and the reigning champions were destroyed for 106 in the 16th over, with Sean Abbott and Tom Curran getting three wickets apiece.
After being inserted, Surrey got off to a stuttering start as openers Laurie Evans and Dan Lawrence were both caught in the deep by Tom Lammonby, leaving them with just seven runs scored.
They were quickly followed by Jason Roy, who attempted to replicate the stroke on the following ball by smashing Riley Meredith to the midwicket fence. Lammonby completed his third catch by pouching the top edge. But Smith got going right away, launching a merciless onslaught on the Somerset attack and heaving Craig Overton for the first of his seven sixes. Smith also combined strength with accurate ball hitting.
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With seven overs remaining, Surrey appeared well-positioned at 139 for 3, but Pope was able to accumulate runs at a more leisurely pace while his partner raced to a half-century from 22 balls, hitting Roelof van der Merwe for another maximum.
Van der Merwe, however, started the Somerset comeback by dismissing Pope (40 from 32) before Green, who had conceded 27 for his opening two overs, took three wickets in five balls, including a slow yorker that ended Smith’s hopes of scoring a first-ever T20 century.
With six deliveries remaining, Surrey’s collapse was completed when Jake Ball bowled last man Spencer Johnson after Meredith (3 for 34) had uprooted Abbott’s off stump.
The Australian left-armer, though, gave his team hope at the beginning of Somerset’s reply with three tight overs, which included the removal of Will Smeed, who hit 20 from 12 before dragging into his off stump, and Tom Banton, who was caught down the leg side.
Tom Abell also left, having misjudged a drive from Abbott at long range. However, Tom Kohler-Cadmore hit Gus Atkinson two consecutive sixes, the second of which was a top-edged hook that a steward at the Vauxhall End calmly removed from the air.
Abbott’s accurate leg-side throw, which ran Kohler-Cadmore out with a direct hit nearly parallel to the stumps at the bowler’s end, ended his innings suddenly, even though the batsman seemed dangerous with 25 off just 10 balls.
Abbott finished his three overs with 3 for 8, and Curran, who secured the triumph by having Ball caught at mid-on, finished with 3 for 16. Surrey kept picking up wickets at regular intervals.
