Vitality Blast Men · T20
St Lawrence Ground, Canterbury · 2026-06-26
Notts won by 4 wickets (with 8 balls remaining)
Kent suffered a frustrating defeat at the St Lawrence Ground, Canterbury, on Friday 26 June, as Nottinghamshire claimed victory in their Vitality Blast Men fixture by four wickets with eight balls to spare. Chasing 185 to win, the visitors completed the task with relative comfort, leaving the home side to reflect on what might have been despite posting a competitive total on a ground that has witnessed many a T20 thriller in recent seasons.
Having won the toss and elected to bowl first, Nottinghamshire invited Kent to set the target, a decision that initially appeared to favour the hosts as the innings gathered momentum. Zak Crawley fell for 27 from 21 balls, including four boundaries, before Daniel Bell-Drummond provided further impetus with a brisk 37 from 23 deliveries, striking four fours and a six at a strike rate of 160.86. It was Sam Billings, however, who proved the cornerstone of Kent’s effort, contributing 64 from 38 balls — an innings laced with two fours and five sixes at a strike rate of 168.42 — before being dismissed in the penultimate over with the score at 182 for seven. Grant Stewart added a late flourish of 22 from 13 balls to help Kent reach 184 for seven, a total that appeared competitive if not quite imposing.
Nottinghamshire’s reply was shaped decisively by George Munsey, the Player of the Match, whose unbeaten 76 from 46 balls — comprising four fours and six sixes at a strike rate of 165.21 — anchored the chase with authority. Early wickets offered Kent encouragement: JM Clarke departed at 36 for one in the fourth over, and a second fell almost immediately to leave Nottinghamshire at 37 for two. FW McCann steadied matters with 25 before being dismissed as the score reached 79 for three in the ninth over, and further wickets at 141 for four and 143 for five in the fourteenth over briefly raised Kent’s hopes. Matt Milnes was the pick of the home bowlers, claiming three for 24 from fewer than four overs, while Fred Klaassen returned one for 22. Ultimately, Munsey’s composure, supported by Liam Patterson-White’s unbeaten 22 from ten balls, ensured Nottinghamshire crossed the line with eight balls remaining.
The defeat will disappoint Kent, who produced several individual contributions of note yet were unable to defend a total that, on another evening, might have proved sufficient. The loss underlines the fine margins that define T20 cricket at this level, and the side’s bowling attack will need to find greater consistency in the closing stages of a chase if they are to mount a sustained challenge in the Vitality Blast. Kent will be eager to respond positively when they next take to the field.
Full scorecard
Kent 1 INN
| Batter | Status | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HZ Finch | lbw b Mohammad Amir | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| DJ Bell-Drummond | c Haynes b Stone | 37 | 23 | 4 | 1 | 160.86 |
| Z Crawley | c McCann b Mohammad Ali | 27 | 21 | 4 | 0 | 128.57 |
| SW Billings | c Moores b Mohammad Ali | 64 | 38 | 2 | 5 | 168.42 |
| JL Denly | st Moores b Patterson-White | 18 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 120.00 |
| CG Benjamin | b Howell | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 200.00 |
| G Stewart | c Moores b Mohammad Amir | 22 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 169.23 |
| KJ Dudgeon | not out | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 60.00 |
| JB Lintott | not out | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | ER |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohammad Amir | 4.00 | 0 | 26 | 2 | 6.50 |
| Olly Stone | 4.00 | 0 | 29 | 1 | 7.25 |
| Mohammad Ali | 4.00 | 0 | 45 | 2 | 11.25 |
| George Linde | 2.00 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 12.00 |
| Benny Howell | 4.00 | 0 | 25 | 1 | 6.25 |
| Liam Patterson-White | 2.00 | 0 | 30 | 1 | 15.00 |
Extras: (w 3, lb 4) · Total: 184 ( 20 ) overs
Nottinghamshire 1 INN
| Batter | Status | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JM Clarke | c Crawley b Dudgeon | 24 | 17 | 5 | 0 | 141.17 |
| HG Munsey | not out | 76 | 46 | 4 | 6 | 165.21 |
| JA Haynes | c Billings b Milnes | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| FW McCann | c Milnes b Denly | 25 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 156.25 |
| TJ Moores | c Bell-Drummond b Milnes | 20 | 17 | 2 | 1 | 117.64 |
| GF Linde | b Milnes | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| BAC Howell | b Klaassen | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 66.66 |
| LA Patterson-White | not out | 22 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 220.00 |
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | ER |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keith Dudgeon | 4.00 | 0 | 43 | 1 | 10.75 |
| Matt Milnes | 3.30 | 0 | 24 | 3 | 6.85 |
| Grant Stewart | 3.00 | 0 | 31 | 0 | 10.33 |
| Fred Klaassen | 4.00 | 0 | 22 | 1 | 5.50 |
| Jake Lintott | 3.00 | 0 | 43 | 0 | 14.33 |
| Joe Denly | 1.00 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 12.00 |
Extras: (w 2, lb 6) · Total: 181 ( 18.3 ) overs
Starting lineups
Kent
- HZ Finch
- DJ Bell-Drummond
- Z Crawley
- SW Billings
- JL Denly
- CG Benjamin
- G Stewart
- KJ Dudgeon
- JB Lintott
- ME Milnes
- FJ Klaassen
Nottinghamshire
- JM Clarke
- HG Munsey
- JA Haynes
- FW McCann
- TJ Moores
- GF Linde
- BAC Howell
- LA Patterson-White
- OP Stone
- Mohammad Ali
- Mohammad Amir
Fall of wickets
Nottinghamshire 1 INN
- 36/1 at 4.4 ov · JM Clarke (c Crawley b Dudgeon 24)
- 37/2 at 5.1 ov · JA Haynes (c ?Billings b Milnes 1)
- 79/3 at 8.6 ov · FW McCann (c Milnes b Denly 25)
- 141/4 at 14.2 ov · TJ Moores (c Bell-Drummond b Milnes 20)
- 143/5 at 14.5 ov · GF Linde (b Milnes 1)
- 146/6 at 15.3 ov · BAC Howell (b Klaassen 2)
Kent 1 INN
- 0/1 at 0.2 ov · HZ Finch (lbw b Mohammad Amir 0)
- 93/3 at 9.5 ov · DJ Bell-Drummond (c Haynes b Stone 37)
- 58/2 at 5.6 ov · Z Crawley (c McCann b Mohammad Ali 27)
- 182/7 at 19.4 ov · SW Billings (c ?Moores b Mohammad Ali 64)
- 137/4 at 13.6 ov · JL Denly (st ?Moores b Patterson-White 18)
- 142/5 at 14.4 ov · CG Benjamin (b Howell 4)
- 173/6 at 18.1 ov · G Stewart (c ?Moores b Mohammad Amir 22)
Match data via api-cricket. Scorecard, lineups, fall of wickets and player figures sourced live from the official feed at the time of publication.