NatWest T20 Blast: Birmingham Bears move top of North Group
Bears defeat Northants in thriller; Kent edge past Hampshire
Wednesday 2 August 2017 11:02, UK
Aaron Thomason held his nerve to defend 13 from the final over as Birmingham Bears beat Northamptonshire by two runs at Wantage Road to go top of the North Group of the NatWest T20 Blast.
The 20-year-old, playing just his 13th T20 match, was trusted with two of the final three overs of the game from the Wilson End when 27 were needed from 18 balls.
He conceded seven from the 18th and then Jeetan Patel presented the youngster with 13 to defend from the final six.
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Alex Wakely (52 off 34) struck the second ball of the over for six down the ground but despite reducing the equation to four from two balls, Thomason held his nerve with a couple of excellent yorkers, running out Wakely from the final ball.
Birmingham's 172 for nine was a stop-start effort where they lost wickets regularly.
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Sam Hain (28) was run out after a calamitous mix up with Colin de Grandhomme, but the latter atoned by striking three fours and as many sixes in his 37 from 16 balls.
In the South Group, Kent's bowlers held their nerve at the death to back up Daniel Bell-Drummond's ninth career T20 fifty as the Spitfires edged a last-over thriller to beat Hampshire by five runs at The Ageas Bowl.
England Lions star Bell-Drummond hit 62 - reaching his half-century off 33 balls - to help the visitors reach 159-6 on a slow track.
And a wicket apiece for Matt Coles, Jimmy Neesham, Mitch Claydon and James Tredwell restricted Hampshire to just 154.
Claydon successfully defended 16 from the last six balls, as he only went for 10, to lift Kent's hopes of reaching the quarter-finals.
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