- Michael Pepper highlighted his unbelievable hitting for the second time on Tuesday night, as Essex Eagles crushed Kent Spitfires by seven wickets in the Vitality Blast.
- Pepper hit a personal best 75 not out against Hampshire Hawks last week before trying to punch 50 as the Eagles scored 131 with 27 balls remaining.
- Essex are in the quarter-finals after winning three of their first six games at the Cloud County Ground in Chelmsford.
Michael Pepper highlighted his unbelievable hitting for the second time on Tuesday night, as Essex Eagles crushed Kent Spitfires by seven wickets in the Vitality Blast.
Pepper hit a personal best 75 not out against Hampshire Hawks last week before trying to punch 50 as the Eagles scored 131 with 27 balls remaining.
Earlier, a spectacular team bowling powerplay had laid the groundwork for Kent’s downfall, with Daniel Sams, Sam Cook, Ben Allison, and Matt Critchley all eventually taking two wickets each.
Essex are in the quarter-finals after winning three of their first six games at the Cloud County Ground in Chelmsford. Kent have a solitary victory and are at rock bottom.
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The Eagles chose to bowl first and were rewarded with a dominant display of powerplay bowling that left the Spitfires 24 for four, a minor recovery from 17 for four. Daniel Sams, Sam Cook, and Ben Allison each bowled two overs and finished with figures of one for seven, one for three, and two for nine.
In the first over, Australian Sams produced a snorter to have Daniel Bell-Drummond caught at first slip, before Tawanda Muyeye holed Allison out to deep midwicket and Jordan Cox tickled to a juggling short fine leg two balls later. Cook’s ruthless start was completed when Grant Stewart mishit to point.
As Aron Nijjar bowled his only over, Alex Blake attempted to rebalance the momentum by hitting back-to-back sixes. Setting a total was difficult despite partnerships of 29 with Sam Billings – who was brilliantly caught and bowled by Simon Harmer – and 27 with Jack Leaning.
Critchley, the leg spinner, bowled Leaning and had George Linde slice to Sams at point. It was one of four catches for Sams that tied Essex’s T20 record, which was set by Dan Lawrence in this match last year.
After bowling Adam Rossington, Freddie Klaassen outdid all three Essex powerplay bowlers by bowling a maiden and then a wicket maiden. Pepper, on the other hand, continued his heroics from last week.
He got his eye in with a four over extra cover before carting Matt Milnes back over his head with a well-middled six.
Buttleman ended his run of three single-figure scores with a trio of boundaries on the off side. But they left when Blake channelled his inner Harlem Globetrotter and reached the ball, popped it up, rolled over, and completed a jaw-dropping diving catch.
Pepper added three more spinner maximums before moving on to a third format fifty from 28 balls. He fell when he top-edged a sweep to short fine leg, but Critchley and Paul Walter – who hit three massive sixes – easily completed the remaining 46 runs.
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