Glamorgan 186-7 beat Somerset 171-6 by 15 runs
Of the four 50-over Metro Bank Cup finals since the tournament was debased by the introduction of the Hundred, Glamorgan won the first and now the fourth as well, by 15 runs. The fact that Kent won the second tournament and Leicestershire the third illustrates how it is weighted in favour of the less-affluent counties.
For Somerset, who were contemplating victory on all three fronts a fortnight ago, there was to be no treble, no trophy at all. Glamorgan, almost unweakened by the Hundred, had more senior players who stood up – Sam Northeast, Billy Root and Timm van der Gugten fuelled a well-above-par total of 186 for seven off 20 overs – while Somerset, seriously debilitated by the Hundred franchises, had only their captain Sean Dickson to reply in kind.
The match had to be reduced from 50 to 20 overs per side because the weather forecast was so appalling that any window had to be seized; and Somerset had the advantage of winning the toss and bowling first on a pitch which nibbled after two days under covers. But Somerset could still offer the valid explanation that their batting is dovetailed to 50 not 20-over cricket: normally their youngsters aim to build a steady start, keeping wickets in hand, for the Dickson-powered middle order to thrash 100 off the last 10, whereas this Glamorgan side were able to fire from the start.
It would have been the first trophy in county cricket that ever had to be shared if the rain which washed out the first day had ruined the reserve day. But there was an actual first, which saw Ben Kellaway bowl ambidextrously – the first such instance in a cup final in England.
For the last ball of his third over Kellaway switched from his normal, natural off-spin to the slow left-arm spin that he has acquired. The tactic worked well. Andrew Umeed had been sweeping and pulling Kellaway’s off-breaks but on this occasion he could do more than drive the ball to long-off for a single: by switching to his left arm, Kellaway kept the ball away from the short leg-side boundary.
The groundstaff had been at work from 6am, and to almost universal surprise an 11am start was possible in the mist, at an almost deserted Trent Bridge. Somerset’s seamers were not quite experienced enough or accurate enough to maximise the nibble to be had; and Dickson made the decision not to use his England left-arm spinner Jack Leach at all, which was probably wrong. Kellaway, Glamorgan’s spinner, got enough grip and turn to take two wickets.
By the ninth over Glamorgan were wobbling at 65 for four but Northeast anchored the innings with his 63 off 49 balls, the younger Root provided the acceleration with 39 off 28 including a couple of pulled sixes, while the hard-bitten journeyman Van der Gugten – initially of New South Wales, then of the Netherlands – tipped the balance firmly in Glamorgan’s favour with 26 off nine. One Kasey Aldridge over, with too much short and wide, cost 29.
Somerset were always behind the rate, against a more world-wise Glamorgan attack, and were barely halfway at 89 for four in the 13th over, at the entry of their captain Dickson. Archie Vaughan hit six off two consecutive balls, but more was needed to augment Dickson’s muscle which made 44 off 20 balls.
It was game over, and triple disappointment for Somerset, when Dickson went after a ball so far outside off stump from Andy Gorvin that it would have been called a wide – only Dickson brought it back into play by trying a reverse-sweep and was caught by the fielder who had been short third.
Competition not helping England
The wider question, of course, is whether this 50-over domestic competition is being put to best use: is it preparing England’s 50-over team to win World Cups, or will Eoin Morgan’s triumph in 2019 be a one-off?
England’s one-day international record since the World Cup win of 2019 stands at 26 won and 26 lost: if it had not been for a facile 4-0 victory over the Netherlands, England would not be in credit, while their performance at the 2023 World Cup in India was a complete flop.
The evidence suggests all England players should be playing in the domestic 50-over competition, in an abbreviated version in April to kick-start the season, and not in the Hundred, if cricket – not money – is the criterion.
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