Western Morning News (Saturday)
Abell hails Somerset’s incredible fans
TOM Abell is backing Somerset’s supporters to turn out in their numbers at Vitality Blast Finals Day – but insists the players will be focussing on their crucial County Championship fixtures before the T20 showpiece.
Abell starred with an unbeaten 78 as Somerset reached Finals Day with victory over Lancashire on Thursday night with seven wickets and 11 balls to spare.
Match-winner Abell who leads the county in four-day cricket but defers to Lewis Gregory in the white-ball game, said after the quarter-final tie: “It was an incredible night. The atmosphere from the first ball was amazing and to come out on top against such good opponents is fantastic.
“I just tried to play the situation. I had one of my worst-ever net practices yesterday, but thankfully Will Smeed took a lot of pressure off me at the start of my innings and Tom Lammonby was brilliant at the end.
“The support from the crowd was superb too and we know a lot of our supporters will be at Finals Day. But first we have some very important Championship cricket, starting against Nottinghamshire here on Monday.”
Lancashire posted 184 for nine at Taunton after losing the toss, skipper Dane Vilas topscoring with 42 from 33 deliveries, Josh Bohannon contributing 35 and Rob Jones 38 not out. Left-arm spinner Roelof Van Der Merwe claimed an impressive four for 27 for the home side.
In reply, Somerset made 185 for three, winning with 11 balls to spare. Abell hit seven fours and three sixes in his 45-ball innings, while Will Smeed cracked 44 and Tom Lammonby 47 not out.
A sell-out 7,000 crowd enjoyed a riveting contest.
Liam Livingstone’s innings of 25 may only have lasted 10 balls at the start of Lancashire’s innings, but it was more than enough time to demonstrate his prodigious talent.
Two of his three sixes were extraordinary, one reaching well wide of off stump to deposit the ball over long-on into the River Tone and another over mid-wicket to strike the top storey of the flats.
At 44 without loss in the fourth over, Lancashire looked on course for a monster total. But Van Der Merwe then grasped a sharp return catch above his head to dismiss Livingstone and pinned Alex Davies lbw three balls later.
Bohannon hit six fours in helping the Lightning to 55 for two off the six-over powerplay but, with 25 added, Van Der Merwe returned to have him stumped. A change of ends saw Van Der Merwe have Luke Wells stumped yards down the pitch and when Vilas pulled a Lammonby full toss to Smeed at deep square, Lancashire were 134 for five in the 14th over.
Ben Green produced a brilliant diving catch at deep square to send back Steven Croft before Marchant De Lange dismissed Danny Lamb and Tom Bailey. Tom Hartley was run out and, despite Jones’ breezy 27-ball innings, Lancashire’s total looked below par. Their hopes were raised when Tom Banton played the final ball of Tom Bailey’s opening over onto his stumps and James Hildreth soon followed to Lamb to make it 12 for two.
Smeed was caught off a no-ball, as Vilas had been in Lancashire’s innings, and responded by clearing the flats Livingstone had hit with a huge six off Bailey. Another Smeed six took Somerset to 52 for two off six overs. Abell was then dropped on 15 at backward point by the diving Bailey, attempting to reverse sweep Hartley.
At halfway in their innings, the hosts were 83 for two, requiring more than 10 an over. Their chances appeared to recede when Smeed was caught at backward point off Lamb. But Abell reached his fifty off 32 balls and then hit a flat six over mid-wicket off Richard Gleeson. Lammonby survived a tough chance and took advantage with a six in the same over to reduce the target to 40 off 24 balls.
Abell then hit Hartley for six and Lammonby followed suit with two maximum’s off Bailey.