Kent and Somerset will battle for the Vitality T20 Blast title on 18 September, in the final of the season at Edgbaston in Birmingham.
Somerset looked dead and buried after coming to chase 150 against Hampshire in the first semi-final. They were left reeling on 34/5. Tom Abell and Lewis Gregory recovered them from there before Ben Green, Craig Overton and Josh Davey played breezy cameos to help their side reach the target with two balls and two wickets to spare.
Tom Banton and Will Smeed made little impact in the semi-final. They will be hoping to take the center stage in the final. Roelof van der Merwe failed to leave his mark as well, both with bat and ball. He could be the game-changer in the summit clash.
In the other semi-final, Kent had a comfortable 21-run win against Sussex. Riding on Daniel Bell-Drummond's 51-ball 82 and Darren Stevens' unbeaten 27-ball 48, Kent posted 168/8 after opting to bat. Fred Klaassen and Matt Milnes shared seven wickets to bowl Sussex out for 147 in 19.1 overs.
Sam Billings, Zak Crawley, and Joe Denly all departed cheaply earlier in the semi-final. They will be in focus again, as Kent go as favourites on paper to win the title.
Betway Fantasy Tips
- Bet on Kent. Appoint Abell and Bell-Drummond captain and vice-captain respectively.
- Banton, Billings, Denly, and Smeed are highly dependable top order batters.
- Klaassen, Marchant de Lange, and Josh Davey are genuine wicket-takers. Include all of them.
Probable XIs
Somerset: Lewis Gregory (c), Tom Banton (wk), Will Smeed, Tom Abell, Lewis Goldsworthy, Tom Lammonby, Ben Green, Roelof van der Merwe, Craig Overton, Marchant de Lange, Josh Davey.
Kent: Sam Billings (c and wk), Zak Crawley, Daniel Bell-Drummond, Joe Denly, Jack Leaning, Jordan Cox, Darren Stevens, Grant Stewart, Qais Ahmad, Matt Milnes, Fred Klaassen.
Prediction
A tight contest. Kent may have the edge.
Blitzpools Fantasy Team
Tom Banton, Sam Billings, Will Smeed, Tom Abell (C), Daniel Bell-Drummond (VC), Roelof van der Merwe, Joe Denly, Darren Stevens, Marchant de Lange, Josh Davey, Matt Milnes.