In a thrilling encounter at the T20 Blast 2023, Somerset emerged victorious against Glamorgan, solidifying their position at the top of the South Group standings. The match took place at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff on Wednesday, June 21. Somerset won the toss and elected to bowl first on a pitch that gradually favours the bowlers.
Glamorgan had a lackluster start with the bat, struggling to find their rhythm in the opening overs. Somerset’s bowlers struck early, dismissing the trio of Will Smale, Billy Roo, and Sam Northeast to reduce Glamorgan to a precarious 14 for 3.
Captain Kiran Carlson (71) and Chris Cooke attempted to stabilize the innings with a brief partnership of 40 runs, taking Glamorgan to 52-3 by the end of the power play. Glamorgan’s captain Carlson took charge of the scoring for his team. However, his batting partner, Chris Cooke, had only managed to score seven runs when he decided to go for a big shot against Craig Overton. Cooke attempted to hit the ball over the extra cover boundary for a six, and it seemed like the ball was on its way to clearing the rope. But in a sensational display of fielding, Somerset’s Kasey Aldridge pulled off a remarkable one-handed catch, denying Glamorgan’s leading run-scorer in the competition a significant score and sending him back to the dugout.
Aldridge’s brilliant catch was a turning point of the match.
Here’s the video:
WHAT A CATCH 😱
Kasey Aldridge takes a one-handed stunner on his Vitality Blast debut 🔥#Blast23 pic.twitter.com/Q1WmTazLpQ
— Vitality Blast (@VitalityBlast) June 21, 2023
Overton, in a splendid display of fast bowling, continued his impressive spell by dismissing Cam Fletcher just two balls later. Glamorgan found themselves in deep trouble at 53 for 5, facing the possibility of a collapse.
However, a remarkable partnership between Carlson and Timm van der Gugten revived Glamorgan’s hopes. The duo put on a record-breaking sixth-wicket stand, adding 91 crucial runs to the total. Their partnership allowed Glamorgan to reach a competitive score of 171, before being bowled out.
In the chase, Somerset displayed their batting prowess, led by the performances of Will Smeed (66) and Tom Kohler-Cadmore (62). The pair with a 84-run stand ensured a comfortable chase for Somerset as they reached the target with eight wickets in hand and 17 balls to spare.
This win propelled Somerset to the top of the T20 Blast South Group table, surpassing Surrey with a total of 18 points. On the other hand, Glamorgan currently sit outside the quarter-final qualification spot and will have to win all three of their remaining fixtures to make it to the knockout stage.
