Despite 65 from 39 balls from Jacques Rudolph, the Birmingham Bears beat Glamorgan by 11 runs in their semi-final contest in the NatWest T20 Blast at a sell-out Finals Day at Edgbaston.
The Welsh county fielded the same eleven which defeated the Leicestershire Foxes by nine wickets in the quarter-final at Cardiff as they looked to make the Final of the all-action of the competition for the first-ever time in their history. Colin Ingram bowled the first over to Ed Pollock who after an appeal for l.b.w., swept the wrist spinner for six and four before drilling Michael Hogan over long-on for successive sixes.
The young opener then scooped another six over backward square-leg when De Lange entered the attack, followed by a ferocious straight drive for four and a rasping pull for four to mid-wicket. He then slog-swept Graham Wagg to mid-wicket followed by a flowing drive through backward point as the Bears reached the 50-mark after 25 balls.
Dominic Sibley, who had played a watching brief, then cover drove Hogan, with Pollock completing his turbo-charge fifty from 23 balls. Sibley added another four as he clipped de Lange behind square-leg for four but the Springbok ended Pollock’s innings as he slapped the penultimate ball of the powerplay into Kiran Carlson’s hands at cover.
65/1 saw Adam Hose join Sibley as Craig Meschede joined the attack, but the new batsman departed to his fourth delivery as he hoisted the all-rounder into Aneurin Donald’s hands at deep mid-wicket. Sam Hain became Sibley’s new partner with the pair working the singles for a couple of overs before Sibley clubbed a slower ball from Meschede for four.
But with the total on 83, Sibley drove Ingram to wide long-on where David Miller completed a good running catch. Grant Elliott joined Hain as the Bears reached 92/3 at the halfway stage, but one run later Meschede trapped Hain leg before as Colin de Grandhomme joined his captain. Elliott cover drove Andrew Salter’s first delivery before doing the same in Meschede’s final over and greeting the return of Wagg by hoisting him for successive fours into the leg-side.
De Grandhomme also on-drove Wagg for four before Elliott lofted Hogan over extra-cover for four. De Grandhomme then flicked Hogan to fine-leg for four, but with the total on 139 Elliott miscued a clip against Hogan into Meschede’s hands at short fine-leg. Aaron Thomason began with a couple of firmly struck singles before pulling Wagg for four.
De Grandhomme drilled Wagg for four through the covers before under-edging an expansive drive to fine-leg. De Lange then removed de Grandhomme who swatted a delivery to Donald at deep mid-wicket before an eventful final over which saw a fine piece of fielding by David Miller run out Thomason as he attempted a second run. Next ball, Miller caught Jeetan Patel at long-on before Andrew Salter ran out Chris Woakes off the final ball as the Bears ended on 175/9.
Rudolph and Donald launched the chase with the latter punching Woakes over extra cover for four before pulling the England man in the air to mid-wicket where Hain took a stunning running catch. Rudolph responded with a pair of flowing cover drives. Patel opened the bowling at the Pavilion End and was driven for fours to long-on and extra-cover by Colin Ingram.
Rudolph found the ropes again as he steered Woakes through point, but with the total on 31, another fine piece of fielding saw Grant Elliott take a superb catch running back from deep mid-on to end Ingram’s stay in the middle. Rudolph then edged the next ball to third man for four before square-cutting the last ball of the over for four but 39/2 became 39/3 as Miller edged Aaron Thomason into Tim Ambrose’s gloves. Rudolph then square-cut the young bowler for four but Olly Stone removed Kiran Carlson, courtesy of another catch by Ambrose as Glamorgan ended the powerplay on 48/4.
Rudolph threaded another ball through the covers against Thomason to bring up the fifty, whilst Chris Cooke nurdled a delivery to third man for four before biffing Grant Elliott through extra-cover for four. But with the total on 67, Cooke chipped a drive to Sibley at deep mid-wicket. Rudolph responded by harpooning Patel over long-on for six as Glamorgan reached 76/5 at the halfway stage requiring a further 100 from 60 deliveries.
A deft glance to fine-leg saw the Glamorgan captain complete a 30-ball fifty whilst Wagg, after a flurry of singles, drilled Stone for six over long-on as Glamorgan reached three figures. Rudolph celebrated with another deft flick to fine-leg for four as they kept up with the asking rate of ten an over. Wagg then straight-drove Patel for four as the spinner completed his spell at the end of the 14th over leaving the Bears seamers to complete the innings with Glamorgan needing 64 from 36 balls.
Rudolph began by deftly pulling Thomason for four but after completing the fifty stand, Rudolph’s innings came to an end as Thomason in his follow through deflected a drive by Wagg onto the stumps at the bowler’s end with the captain stranded out of his ground. 117/6 saw Meschede join Wagg, but the latter departed three balls later as he drove Woakes to deep long-off where Elliott completed the catch.
Salter began by pulling Woakes to fine-leg for four as the equation became 51 from 24 balls but Meschede then drilled Thomason to long-on where Hain pouched the ball. De Lange made his way to the middle and pulled the bowler for four before swatting de Grandhomme for six into the Pavilion Enclosure. 32 were needed from the last twelve balls as the pair scampered one’s and two’s, but crucially no boundaries before Stone bowled De Lange with the last ball of the penultimate over.
With 26 needed from the final over from Woakes, Salter began by flat-batting a four to third man before drilling the paceman over extra-cover for four. He then hoisted a slower ball over deep mid-wicket for six but he launched the next ball high to long-off when Hose completed a steepling catch to end Glamorgan’s T20 campaign as the Bears won by 11 runs.