Marnus Labuschagne was outstanding with the bat and the ball as Glamorgan defeated Kent Spitfires by 13 runs in a rain-shortened dead rubber at Canterbury.
Weather postponing the start, Glamorgan amassed 145 for 6 from their 13 overs, led by an undefeated fifty-six from 26 balls from Labuschagne, who then claimed a cost-effective 1 for 14 from his two overs.
Sam Billings scored 33 runs off of just 17 balls, but Kent was never able to match the run rate of more over 11 runs per over. The Spitfires’ already remote prospects were dashed with two wickets from Timm van der Gugten in the 11th over, and they ended up at 132 for 5.
The game was shortened to 13 overs each side due to excessive rain, and neither team had a chance of making it to the quarterfinals. The start of the match was delayed till 8pm.
As soon as the visitors were put to bat, they launched an attack. Before a run-rate collapse, Kiran Carlson hit Tom Rogers for a spectacular six and Will Smale smashed an eighteen off the bat. After Carlson was hit amidships by Rogers, Smale mishandled Nathan Gilchrist to Tom Rogers at mid-off, allowing the bowler to run Tom Bevan out for three. Carlson had nearly reached the striker’s end when he realised his partner was doubled up with pain.
Carlson was dismissed for eighteen, and Rogers caught him at backward square-leg by Marcus O’Riordan, who took a wicket with his opening delivery. At that moment, the score was 52 for 3, but Labuschagne and Colin Ingram responded with a 54-run partnership, which came to an end when Joey Evison trapped Ingram for 26 off 13 balls by Rogers.
Ben Kellaway was run out for three by Rogers and an unbalanced Billings, while Chris Cooke went for six by driving Gilchrist to Jack Leaning at long off. However, Labuschagne fought his way to a half-century in the last over.
With 20 overs remaining, Kent appeared to be unable to chase this goal because to their dismal Blast effort. They lost Tawanda Muyeye for 7 as he was caught behind by Dan Douthwaite, despite taking 12 off a strong opening over.
In the same over, O’Riordan ought to have gone for a duck, and despite Andy Gorvin dropping a huge one at midwicket, he was unable to capitalise. Before Labuschagne bowled O’Riordan for 9 off 14, Mason Crane took the prize wicket of Daniel Bell-Drummond for 27, which was taken by Kellaway at the cow-corner boundary.
Smale dismissed Jack Leaning after he holed out off Labuschagne on 9 and Billings blasted Crane for a six that landed on the Cowdrey Stand roof, but Glamorgan’s economical bowling caused the rate to spiral out of hand.
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The pressure drove Billings to take an awful shot, chipping van der Gugten to Carlson at cover as Kent needed 54 from the last three overs. Then, at deep square for 11, Van der Gugten had Leaning caught by Kellaway. Rogers had a little fun, but his undefeated 31 from 12 raised the question of why he hadn’t batted higher in the order.
With only 15 runs from Douthwaite’s final over, Kent was unable to achieve the unlikely target of 29, and their loss ensures that the 2021 champions will finish last in the South Group.
India
