England’s Craig Overton followed his brother’s footsteps. Batting at no.9, Overton scripted history in T20 Blast quarterfinal clash for Somerset against Yorkshire. In the run chase of 163 at Headingley, Leeds, Somerset were 82/8. But, Overton wreaked havoc and got Somerset over the line with a ball to spare.
Overton broke the record for highest score by a no.9 batter in T20 cricket history. The previous record for highest score by a no.9 batter in the format belonged to Jammu & Kashmir's Syed Sagar who scored a 36-ball 74 against Haryana in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2013 clash. The previous record in T20 Blast belonged to New Zealand's Tim Southee with unbeaten 32-ball 64 for Middlesex against Hampshire.
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Yorkshire post par score
Earlier, Yorkshire skipper won the toss and opted to bat first. Overton dismissed Moeen Ali for a golden duck in the first over. Adam Lyth did not have enough support from the other end. He scored 64 runs from 40 balls before falling to Overton. Cameos from lower order took Yorkshire to 161/9. Jake Ball claimed three wickets whereas Riley Meredith bagged two apiece.
Batting collapse for Somerset
In the run chase, Somerset faced a batting collapse. Thomas Rew, James Rew and Tom Banton returned after scoring just one run each. Tom Kohler-Cadmore managed just two runs. Somerset lost seven wickets for 59 runs in the 12th over when Overton walked out to bat. In the 15th over, Lewis Gregory departed as well with 82 runs on the board.
Craig Overton’s magic
Overton kept the run chase alive, hitting Logan van Beek for a hat-trick of fours in the 17th over. In the last two overs, 39 runs were needed. Overton hit a four and a six to reach his fifty from 22 balls. 17 runs came off the penultimate over. In the final over, 22 runs were needed. Overton hit Matthew Revis for three consecutive sixes. On the penultimate ball, he hit the winning runs. He shared an unbeaten 32-ball 80 run partnership for the ninth wicket with Riley Meredith who contributed with 80 runs from 32 balls.
Somerset will now face Northamptoshire in the T20 Blast 2026 first semi final on July 18. Northamptonshire beat Gloucestershire by eight wickets to make it to last four.