Birmingham vs Somerset, Review | Dickson’s explosive helps Somerset chase down total with one ball to spare

While the Bears' innings started with a bang, the same cannot be said about Somerset, as Richard Gleeson dismissed Will Smeed in the fourth over. Though Tom Kohler-Cadmore did manage to get a few hits away towards the end of the power play, the required rate was still over 10 with the score reading 49/1. After a slightly underwhelming first six overs, it seemed like a decent partnership was forming between Cadmore and Tom Abell. Unfortunately, as soon as the stand started to look threatening, Oliver Hannon Dalby dismissed Cadmore in the ninth over on a score of 32 off 26 deliveries. Trouble started brewing as James Rew was dismissed cheaply by George Garton as Somerset were stuck in a tricky situation with the score at 80/3 after 11 overs, needing 111 off the last nine deliveries. While it seemed like the Bears were in control of the game, Abell was joined by Sean Dickson at the crease and formed a crucial partnership in the middle. Both batters were scoring runs at a brisk rate as Abell brought up his half-century in 29 balls and was supported well by Dickson at the other end. With two set batters at the crease, the game was in the balance with the score at 132/3 and the Sabres needing 59 off the last 30 deliveries. As things started to go well for Somerset, Abell was dismissed in the 16th over by Danny Briggs on a score of 51 off 31 deliveries. However, the game started to go Birmingham’s way in the 18th over as Dalby changed the tide with a double-wicket over, dismissing  Gregory and Green, and only conceding six runs in the over. This over put Somerset in a difficult position once again as they needed 33 off the last 12 deliveries, but Dickson had other plans as he kept the fight alive by smashing 14 runs off Gleeson’s over, leaving 19 off the final six deliveries. The final over was bowled by Bernard, who started the delivery with a wide and a single, but faced the wrath of Dickson, who smacked him for a couple of maximums and a boundary in the next three balls, and nudged the ball for a single on the fifth delivery to ensure a spot in the semi-finals with a four-wicket win. Dickson was also adjudged as the player of the match for his unbeaten knock of 71 off 26 deliveries.