Northants knock out holders Somerset to reach Blast final

Northamptonshire booked their place in the T20 Blast final for the first time in 10 years after defeating defending champions Somerset by 17 runs in a gripping semi-final at Edgbaston.

2026-07-18T14:40+01:00

Asked to bat first, Northants found runs difficult to come by on a slow surface and were bowled out for 143. Chris Lynn top-scored with a fluent 39 from 26 balls, but only a couple of his team-mates managed to make significant contributions as Somerset's bowlers kept striking at regular intervals.

Jake Ball was the pick of the attack with outstanding figures of 4 for 17, matching the best bowling return in a Blast semi-final, while Riley Meredith chipped in with three wickets to ensure Northamptonshire never built lasting momentum.

Somerset's chase suffered an early setback when David Willey removed Tom Banton with the opening ball of the innings. Ben Sanderson then dismissed Thomas Rew before Willey bowled James Rew to leave the reigning champions reeling at 12 for 3.

Will Smeed counterattacked brilliantly to revive Somerset's hopes. He took full advantage of Luke Procter's final powerplay over, collecting 28 runs with a series of powerful boundaries to swing the momentum back in Somerset's favour.

However, Northamptonshire quickly regained control. Smeed was dismissed for 49 after Lewis McManus completed an excellent diving catch behind the stumps, while James Sales and Calvin Harrison applied sustained pressure through the middle overs by restricting the flow of runs.

Willey returned to remove Somerset captain Lewis Gregory before Harrison accounted for Tom Kohler-Cadmore, whose 29 from 37 deliveries failed to provide the acceleration Somerset required.

Craig Overton threatened briefly during the closing stages, but Willey produced one of the defining moments of the match with a superb relay catch at the boundary to end his innings. Daniel Sams struck a six late on, but Procter delivered an economical penultimate over before Sanderson wrapped up the victory as Somerset finished on 126 for 9.

Earlier, technology played an important role during Northamptonshire's innings. Ricardo Vasconcelos was initially given not out before Somerset successfully reviewed, with ball-tracking confirming the delivery would have gone on to hit the stumps. Nathan McSweeney also departed following a successful review, while Willey's dismissal left Northants struggling at 26 for 3.

Lynn and Saif Zaib steadied the innings with a useful partnership, but Ball's well-disguised slower deliveries broke the stand and sparked another collapse. Northamptonshire managed only two boundaries from the 13th over onwards as Somerset's bowlers finished strongly to restrict them to what looked like a below-par total.

After the match, Willey admitted his side believed they were around 15 to 20 runs short but said their plan was to strike early with the ball and build pressure throughout the innings. He also praised McManus' outstanding catch to dismiss Smeed, describing it as a turning point that gave the Steelbacks belief they could finish the job and secure a place in the final.