Somerset 159 for 4 (Dixon 78, Reeve 62*) defeated. Surrey 153 for 9 (Sibley 48, Gregory 3-15, Davey 3-34) from six wickets

But Dixon and 20-year-old Reeve, playing their first game of the campaign – and the second T20 of their professional careers – turned the innings around with their highest-ever contribution on the final day. Between them, they allowed the Somerset supporters who made the pilgrimage to Edgbaston to enjoy the closing stages in relative comfort.

Both Dixon and Reeve, who was only called into the squad on Friday as a replacement for the injured Tom Benton, played career-best T20 innings to dispatch the defending champions. Dixon fell for 78 in 57 with three needed, while Reeve remained unbeaten on 62 for 44 to maintain Somerset’s pursuit of an unprecedented domestic treble – the first ever ODI Cup final. I have arrived – on track.

Frankie is tickling Panky’s tip.
It was a stuttering batting effort from Surrey, but at least they had put on the scoreboard. Chasing 154 wouldn’t normally trouble a team with Somerset’s top-order prowess, although the absence of leading run-scorer Benton – injured during the Championship heist at Taunton – reduced their strength from the off. They were then bowled over by the very first ball of Worrall, which swung violently off Tom Koehler-Cadmore’s line to trap Tom Koehler-Cadmore plumb in front (at least this time, it was one for Koehler-Cadmore). was a quick kill, pinned by Worrall for 10 points in a row last month).

At the other end, Tom Curran had to wait until his third delivery to break through, hitting a length straight to take Tom Able’s lead. Worrell then edged the keeper with a low Will Smead off the footwork to leave Somerset three down in the third over and already facing a mountain to climb in their title defence.

Dixon to the rescue (again).
Somerset had two low-scoring wins on the final day of 2023, defending 142 and 145 – with Dixon top-scoring in both games. He once again rose to the occasion, building on a partnership with Rio as it went from a minor hurdle to a major hurdle in Surrey’s chances of a first T20 title since the inaugural edition in 2003.

Dixon was the first player to hit a boundary off Jordan Clarke as Somerset reached 29 for 3 at the end of the powerplay. They were behind the rate but were soon playing catch-up against Surrey’s spinners: Dixon bowled Cameron Steele at Hollies for the first six of the innings, then Reeve edged Dean Lawrence high in the same part of the ground. Just cleared the man. At deep mid-wicket. The follow-up went through extra cover for four, Surrey captain Chris Jordan left face down on the turf after diving for the catch.

Just beyond the reach of a diving Sibley at deep midwicket, Dixon planted Steel for another six, then punched the next ball clean over long-off en route to a 31-ball half-century. Reeve added another six when he spun Clarke over deep backward square leg and the required rate fell below one run a ball in the next over, thanks to two more boundaries from Jordan. Somerset’s stand-in wicket-keeper eventually scored a 38-ball fifty, by which point all Surrey hopes had died.

Sibley threw some shapes.
Presumably asked to bat in September conditions, Surrey’s initial boost came from Lawrence, one of three England Test players back in the squad (Will Jacks, Sam Curran, Jamie Overton and Rees Topple had contested being away from T20I duty). Lawrence happily hacked and swiped – in style in his final Test innings of the Sri Lanka series – to reach 19 for 11 inside the first two overs, before covering Josh Davey.

Sibley had only faced one delivery at the time, and he took 4 for 6 before displaying some improved T20 chops that marked his most productive Blast season since 2017. was carried forward. Jack Ball’s arrival in the attack was greeted with an ungainly ramp to fine leg. With Ollie Pope pulling, pulling and driving three for four from his first ten balls, the End were in good shape at 62 for 1 at the end of the Powerplay.

Gregory goes bang bang.
Gregory’s first notable contribution – apart from winning the toss – was a one through mid-off, when Lawrence picked up his third boundary. At age 32, with a long day, perhaps Gregory realized that diving was not the best option. And he certainly proved that he knew what he was doing when he came to bowl the eighth over of the contest. Gregory’s canny medium was a perfect fit for this final season Edgbaston deck, although there was considerable skill involved as the pop was done by a leg-cutter that fell off the stumps. Jamie Smith then played a bit more to the same effect and Surrey’s solid start was replaced by a scorecard of 69 for 3.

End scrap in vain for a score
Surrey’s rebuild began with a Test match graft partnership between two former England opening partners Sibley and Rory Burns. With Burns, the only left-hander in the line-up, moving in to bat at No.5 above Laurie Evans, a partnership of 36 off 28 steadied the ship for Surrey. Although they both departed in the space of eight balls, Sibley became Gregory’s third wicket when he was dismissed to deep midwicket, helping Evans take the innings to 150.

Evans hit the ball flat into the Hollies stand for the second six of the innings but, unlike Somerset’s chase, there were few clean-struck attacking shots – Surrey managed just six boundaries outside the powerplay, while Somerset managed 16. Robbed.