Sam Cook takes hat-trick as Essex defeat Kent
Essex 155 for six (Critchley 63*)Kent 150 for 8 (Denly 39, Cook 4-18) by 4 wickets
Sam Cook took a hat-trick as Essex beat the Kent Spitfires by 4 wickets within the Vitality Blast at Canterbury.
The guests recovered from an early-innings scare to shut on 155 for six, Matt Critchley hitting an unbeaten 63.
Cook had taken 4 for 18 as Kent have been held to 150 for 8, which truly represented a restoration. Joe Denly was the highest scorer with 39 and Grant Stewart gave the hosts one thing to bowl at with 37 from 16 balls, however after slumping to 31 for 4, Critchley’s measured innings noticed Essex house with 10 balls to spare.
Kent’s resolution to bat backfired when, having placed on 32 for the opening wicket, they have been rocked by a spell of 4 runs for 4 wickets in eight balls.
Daniel Bell-Drummond bought away with an unsightly shot off Shane Snater that sailed over the boundary, however he hit the following ball virtually vertically and was caught by Feroze Khushi for 22.
Cook then despatched Tawanda Muyeye’s stumps flying earlier than getting Sam Billings caught behind for a golden duck and he claimed his first Blast hat-trick when Jordan Cox was plumb lbw.
With beneath 5 overs gone the remaining batters had little selection aside from to drop anchor and Jack Leaning had made 9 from 20 balls when he hit Critchley to Daniel Sams at ahead sq. leg.
When Simon Harmer’s fifteenth over went for simply two the previous joke about it not being a take a look at match leapt to thoughts, however the cost lastly got here within the seventeenth when George Linde hit Harmer for six, solely to edge the following ball straight to Robin Das.
When Cook bowled Denly, Stewart was left with the tail, however an eight-ball remaining over from Sams went for 27, together with two sixes from Stewart, who was ultimately caught by Das off the fifth legit supply. A misfield allowed Kent to scramble two off the final ball, however the complete nonetheless seemed under par, till Essex began to bat.
Fred Klaassen, again after lacking the beginning of the Blast for private causes, had Khushi lbw with the second ball of the innings.
It was one for 2 when Dan Lawrence edged Michael Hogan’s first ball down the leg facet the place he was brilliantly caught by Billings.
Hogan then bowled Das’s center stump for 11, breaking Sky’s stump digicam and when Michael Pepper went for 13, skying Kane Richardson to Billings Essex have been 31 for 4, however Paul Walter and Critchley steadied their nerves.
The former made 27 from 15 earlier than he minimize Stewart to Leaning and Sams chipped in with 17 earlier than Linde bowled him.
Critchley by no means allowed the run fee to escalate whereas Will Buttleman survived an lbw shout from Linde after which reverse swept him for 4, earlier than hitting Hogan for six into the Old Dover Road gardens.
Fittingly Critchley hit the profitable runs when he hit Joe Denly for six over cow nook.
The win retains Essex effectively in rivalry for Finals Day and a fifth consecutive defeat leaves Kent’s hopes of qualifying trying virtually skeletal.