Sab bol rahe the, “Somerset toh is baar bhi sabko hara dega!” Lekin 15 June 2025 ko Taunton mein Kent Spitfires ne unke saare sapno pe paani pher diya. Daniel Bell-Drummond ke shandaar shatak (100) aur Tawanda Muyeye ke zabardast 58 runs ki wajah se Kent ne 158 runs ka opening stand banaya, aur Somerset ke unbeaten streak ko ekdum chhitti kar diya. Yeh match ek high-scoring thriller tha, jahan Kent ne Somerset ke 183/6 ke jawab mein 184/4 banaye aur 7 balls baki rehne tak jeet haasil ki.
Somerset ke fans toh shayad soch rahe honge ki yeh kya ho gaya! Unki team, jo 2023 mein Vitality Blast jeet chuki thi, aur jiska bowling attack Matt Henry aur Craig Overton jaise bowlers se bhara tha, woh Kent ke batsmen ke saamne ekdum bebas dikhayi di. Bell-Drummond ne toh aisa khela jaise woh T20 ke naye king ho! Unke 100 runs mein 10 fours aur 4 sixes shamil the, aur jab Riley Meredith ne unko 13.2 overs mein caught behind kiya, tab tak woh match ka rukh Kent ke taraf kar chuke the. X par Somerset ke official account ne bhi unki tareef mein likha, “An amazing hundred from Daniel Bell-Drummond!” Par yeh tareef bhi unke haar ke dukh ko kam nahi kar saki.
Lekin zara rukiye, Somerset ke liye sab kuch bura nahi tha. Unki batting mein Ben Green (25*) aur Sean Dickson (24*) ne chhote par kaamyaab contributions diye. Tom Banton aur Will Smeed jaise openers se bhi ummeed thi, par Kent ke bowlers, khaas taur pe Nathan Gilchrist (2/50), ne unko roka. Somerset ka yeh score shayad kaafi hota, agar Kent ke openers ne aisa dhamaka na kiya hota. Yeh wahi Somerset hai, jinhone 2023 ke final mein Essex ke khilaaf Matt Henry ke 4/24 ke saath title jeeta tha, jab Tom Kohler-Cadmore ne ek stunning catch liya tha. Par is baar unka jadoo nahi chala.
Ab thodi si baat Kent ke liye. Bell-Drummond aur Muyeye ka yeh opening stand yaad dilata hai 2015 ke us match ka, jab Kent ne Somerset ke khilaaf 227/7 banaye the, aur Sam Northeast ke 114 aur Bell-Drummond ke 51 ke saath Chris Gayle ke 151* ko bhi overshado kiya tha. Us din bhi Kent ne dikhaya tha ki woh bade scores ka jawab de sakte hain. Is baar bhi Bell-Drummond ne wahi roop dikhaya, aur Muyeye ne unka saath diya. Muyeye, jo 2021 mein Kent ke liye ek naye star ke roop mein ubhre the, ne apne 58 runs mein 6 fours aur 2 sixes lagaye. Yeh dono milke Somerset ke bowlers, jaise Lewis Gregory aur Josh Davey, ko ekdum pareshan kar diya.
Yeh jeet Kent ke liye ek bada boost hai, kyunki unka season abhi tak thoda up-down raha tha. Gloucestershire ke khilaaf unki pehli jeet (208/3 vs 204/7) bhi Bell-Drummond (60) aur Joe Denly (48*) ke wajah se aayi thi. Par Somerset jaisi team ko harana, jo South Group mein top par thi, unke liye ek alag level ka confidence dega. Bell-Drummond ka yeh shatak unko yaad dilata hai 2021 ke Vitality Blast final ka, jab Jordan Cox ke 58* aur ek stunning boundary catch ne Somerset ko 25 runs se haraya tha. Kent ke fans ab soch rahe honge ki shayad yeh season unka hai
Lekin cricket ka khel aisa hai ki yahan koi bhi team kabhi bhi palat sakti hai. Somerset ke liye yeh haar ek jhatka hai, par unke paas abhi bhi talent ki kami nahi. Lewis Gregory, Tom Abell, aur Matt Henry jaise players kisi bhi din match palat sakte hain. 2023 mein jab Somerset ne Surrey ke khilaaf semi-final mein kam score ke bawajood jeet haasil ki thi, tab unhone dikha diya tha ki woh pressure mein kya kar sakte hain. Kent ke liye bhi khushi manane ka waqt hai, par agla match Surrey ke khilaaf hai, aur woh team Jason Roy aur Laurie Evans ke saath koi chhoti team nahi hai. Kya Kent apna yeh form continue rakhega, ya Somerset wapas aake sabko dikhayega ki yeh haar sirf ek chhota sa jhatka tha? Bas yeh toh waqt hi batayega.
