Twitter Reactions: Somerset defeat Essex in summit clash to lift second T20 Blast title after 18 years
Somerset defeated Essex by 14 runs to clinch the T20 Blast title for the first time since 2005.
The T20 Blast 2023 finally came to an end, with Lewis Gregory-led Somerset clinching the title after defeating Essex in the summit clash of the competition when the two sides faced each other in the final at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Saturday, July 15.
Somerset came in to bat first after losing the toss, and the side got off to a subpar start to the game as openers Tom Banton and Will Smeed were only able to score 20 and nine runs, respectively. Furthermore, things started to look shaky for Somerset early on, as Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Tom Abell were also unable to make their mark on the game as well.
It was the knock of Sean Dickson that stabilized the innings for Somerset. The 31-year-old scored 53 runs in 35 deliveries and helped his side post 145 runs on the board for Essex to chase down. Shane Snater and Paul Walter were the highest wicket takers for Essex in the first innings, with three wickets each to their names. Furthermore, Matt Critchley and Daniel Sams took one wicket each.
Aiming to chase down the reasonable target of 146 runs, Adam Rossington and Dan Lawrence provided decent starts to Essex during the run chase, scoring 19 and 16 runs, respectively. However, their plans were derailed by Matt Henry, who was sensational with the ball.
Henry sent both Essex openers packing and even took the wicket of Michael Pepper for just one run. With the top-order back to the pavilion quite early into the run chase, the pressure was mounted back on Simon Harmer-led Essex.
The knocks of Paul Walter and Daniel Sams provided some hope to the side; however, it still was not enough in the end as Somerset clinched a brilliant victory. Walter amassed 26 runs in 24 balls, with Sams scoring 45 runs in 26 deliveries down the order.
By the end, Essex were only able to post 131 runs on the board before they were bundled out by Somerset, who won the game by 14 runs and clinched their second T20 Blast title in sensational fashion.
Here’s how Twitter reacted to Somerset’s T20 Blast win:
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