Recent Match Report – Kent vs Sussex 2nd Semi-Final 2021

Sussex takes off as George Garton’s overall efforts thwarted

Kent 168 for 8 (Bell-Drummond 82, Stevens 47 *; Mills 3-33) lead Sussex 147 (Garton 41; Klaassen 4-17, Milnes 3-22) by 21 races

It does happen when one of the Players of the Match in a T20 Blast semi-final is within five years of being eligible for the Covid recall, but Darren Stevens will not give away about that. Much more pressing on his immediate agenda is the prospect of snagging a third medal winner in the T20 Blast. Part of the opportunity to secure the honor is due to his own efforts to make 47 points and then take the important wicket from David Wiese as Kent claimed a well-deserved victory over Sussex by 21 points in the second half. final at Edgbaston.

Yet it was also a team triumph, Fred Klaassen took four wickets and Matt Milnes three as Luke Wright’s team never really took on their task. All the same, Kent’s team featured their top three T20 cricket race scorers as well as their second-best wicket-taker. And it is, of course, Stevens who appears in both lists; the 45-year-old won the 2004 Blast with Leicestershire just a fortnight after the birth of Archie Lenham, one of his opponents and the last man to come out in the semi-finals. Yet Lenham doesn’t play his cricket with more enthusiasm in his debut season than Stevens shows in his 25th summer on the tour.

But it was Daniel Bell-Drummond, another of the players on the batting list, who won the player of the game title for his 82 innings in the 168 for 8. Despite the late strike from George Garton, no one on the Sussex could match that contribution and it’s Kent who will face Somerset in about an hour.

Following the early defeat of Zak Crawley, who was knocked down by Garton in a shot he doubts he would have learned in Tonbridge, Powerplay’s overs were dominated by sharp shots from Bell-Drummond until Joe Denly washes away. Garton to Chris Jordan in sixth. But the fact that the quick left-arm pitcher had to play three of six overs spoke volumes about everyone’s indiscipline and Kent’s opener’s ability to capitalize on such weaknesses.

Either way, Wright was probably relieved to introduce Lenham’s leg rotation in seventh and even more when he only conceded six singles. On the other end, Will Beer reinforced the impression that the Sussexes were imposing a measure of control, even though Bell-Drummond hit his fifty on 29 balls. But in tenth over Sam Billings, Beer for Kent drove the first frontier since Powerplay and Kent hit the middle of their innings at 82-2.

Even the full throw to Ravi Bopara’s waist and the six that came from the free kick couldn’t restore Kent’s previous prosperity. Billings was upset for 14 by a very straight ball in the same inning and Jack Leaning by a much better Tymal Mills in the next. Jordan Cox was caught by the next ball, but Stevens avoided the hat-trick by simply not making a stroke.

The veteran’s contribution to Kent’s cause over the next 27 balls has been much more valuable. Along with Bell-Drummond, he added 38 more points until the opener was caught in the middle of the wicket by Chris Jordan’s Ravi Bopara for his 51-ball 82. Intrepid by that – who knows, maybe reinvigorated by this – Stevens was undefeated on 47 when the innings ended with what was clearly a defendable total.