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T20 Blast Final, Edgbaston
Northamptonshire Steelbacks 169 (19.5 overs): Vasconcelos 88; Baker 5-21
Hampshire Hawks 155 (19.2 overs)Weatherly 75; Sales 3-25
Northants won by 14 runs
Northamptonshire Steelbacks secured their third T20 Blast trophy after a titanic clash against Hampshire Hawks in a thrilling Edgbaston final.
The Steelbacks survived a heavy slump after being asked to bat first, losing the last eight wickets for 31 to 169, with opener Ricardo Vasconcelos providing the backbone with 88.
But they staged a brilliant comeback with the ball to prevent Hampshire from becoming the first team to win four T20 Blast titles on the nerve-wrecking edge.
The Hawks needed 31 balls to win from the last 20 balls.
Joe Weatherley was on strike on 75 – he had made 88 in their semi-final earlier in the day – but he slipped Ben Sanderson to Northants skipper David Wiley at long-on on the ropes, before Sanders edged Sonny Baker for 14 runs from the next ball.
In Hampshire’s semi-final win over Notts Outlaws on the final day, the English all-rounder became the first bowler to take an early 5-wicket haul.
After it is produced A good display with both bat and ball to see-off NottsJames Vince, despite knowing, chose to bowl first after winning the final The Steelbacks beat Somerset first In the opening semi-final.
Despite claiming an early scalp of the dangerous and ex-Hawk Chris Lynn, the Australian veteran clipped a short Baker delivery to Chris Wood at short fine leg, the Steelbacks added a swashbuckling 60 in six overs with Vasconcelos and Nathan McSweeney (30).
Another 69 between Vasconcelos and Lewis McManus in the next 7.2 overs with Northants 138-2 with 4.5 overs to go before McManus dismissed Scott Currie for 22.
Left-arm opener Vasconcelos hit 11 fours and two sixes off 59 balls as he made his way to a career-best 88 before falling to a slow delivery from Baker, the first of his six wickets in 12 balls.
The three reached Baker’s final, leaving him with career-best figures of 5-21 – three days after he went 5-24 in the quarter-finals – to become the first player to record a finals-day five-fer.
James Fuller ended the day with figures of 7-62 from 8 overs as the Steelbacks were dismissed in the final over.
The Steelbacks made the perfect start to their reply when Toby Albert edged the first ball from Willey to keeper but Vince and Weatherley – who put on a stand of 126 in the semi-final – steadied the ship on 40 before Vince went for 17 from James Sale to Vasconcelos.
Weatherley went on to surpass Luke Wright’s 2018 record of 125 in a final day but lost to Ben Mays (9), the dangerous Tristan Stubbs (2) and leg-spinner Calvin Harrison with 11 off five balls, while Saley made 11 off 8 balls. remainder.
Sale recorded figures of 3-25 and 4-41 in eight overs on the day and 25 wickets in the tournament.
Weatherley posted the second half of the day and Liam Dawson provided support but 74 were needed from the last seven overs and 58 from the last five.
In his best 68 for England against India on Tuesday, Dawson took Willey’s final 17 to 26 and left the Hawks needing 41 off the last 24 balls.
Dawson spun off Luke Proctor to reach 35 off 18 balls.
Fuller came into the field needing 32 off 20 balls but Weatherly took over as the tournament’s leading run-scorer and left his side needing 22 from the last two overs.
Attempting to drive the ball through mid-wicket, Proctor was reduced to 17 off two balls before clearing Fuller’s stumps.
Weatherley then hit nine fours and two sixes after a 53-ball innings and Baker followed straight after to start the Steelback celebrations.
