CHELMSFORD – Somerset gave their hopes of making the knockout stages ofthis season’s Vitality Blast a real shot in the arm, as Babar Azam’s third50 in the competition helped his side crush Essex by 114 runs at Chelmsford.
This was the Pakistan star’s first half-century away from Taunton, and withTom Banton, Tom Abell and Eddie Byrom also scoring well, Somerset posted225-6 – their joint sixth highest T20 total.
The Essex reply made a sluggish start and never recovered from Roelof vander Merwe claiming three wickets in four balls, as the hosts wereeventually all out for 111.
On winning the toss, Somerset’s exciting opening partnership of Banton andBabar set to work, the former taking 22 runs off Aaron Beard’s first over.They put on 51 for the first wicket, from just 26 balls, before Ravi Bopararemoved both Banton (39) and James Hildreth.
Babar continued his efficient work, however, making 56 and sharing a standof 79 runs with captain Abell (45), until Bopara (3-18) dismissed theopener. With four overs to go, Somerset had 156-4 and it looked like 200would be a good score; enter the in-form Byrom, the Cricketer reported .
Read Top Stories
Dropped on 10, he made Essex pay by smashing three maximums off oneMohammad Amir over on his way to a quick-fire 44. Another couple of sixesfrom Craig Overton took the visitors to 225-6, with 96 of those runs comingfrom the final 24 balls.
Essex openers Cameron Delport (20) and Tom Westley (22) kept at around therate for four overs, but after their departures it all went wrong for thehome side. Ryan ten Doeschate, Bopara and Paul Walter all departed in asingle van der Merwe over, as he ended with career-best figures of 5-32.
His fellow spinner Max Waller chipped in with 3-26 as Essex lost eightwickets in 31 balls, to fall well short of the required runs. The resultsees Somerset overtake Essex for sixth place in the South Group of theBlast.
