HAMPSHIRE lost a T20 thriller at The Ageas Bowl - despite the return of England teammates James Vince and Liam Dawson.
Four days after his stunning England debut, Dawson was again outstanding with the ball, taking 2-19 from his four overs as Essex were restricted to 153-6 after winning the toss.
Then Vince cruised to his first T20 fifty of the season to seemingly put Hampshire on course for only their second win of what has been a torrid campaign.
But despite a brilliant late cameo from Lewis McManus, who pulled a four and a six from successive Graham Napier deliveries in the penultimate over, Hampshire suffered a sixth successive T20 defeat, by three runs, when Gareth Andrew failed to make contact with the last two balls.
Michael Carberry had helped provide the perfect platform by putting on 42 from the first five overs with Vince.
Hampshire’s captain was outstanding, striking nine fours in his 62 (51 balls).
But Hampshire lost wickets consistently and when Vince himself was bowled, swinging across the line against a Napier yorker, 31 were still needed from 22 balls.
With rookies Brad Taylor and McManus at the crease, 30 were required from the last three overs and that became 20 off the last nine balls before the latter’s double whammy reduced the target to eight off the final over.
Attempting another six against Essex captain Ravi Bopara, McManus was caught at cow corner off the second ball.
Four were needed of the last two when Andrew missed an attempted reverse sweep before failing to lay a bat on the last delivery.
Hampshire had produced their best T20 performance of the season with the ball.
Shahid Afridi recorded the most economical figures by a Hampshire bowler this season and, for the second time in four days, Dawson was the pick of the bowlers for the home side at The Ageas Bowl.
He followed his 3-27 on his England debut with 2-19 as Essex.
This time last year, Dawson was midway through his first game of a month’s loan at Essex.
He ended the best week of his career with another fine spell from the Ageas Bowl’s Pavilion End with the scalps of Jesse Ryder and Tom Westley, his 50th T20 victim.
He struck in his first two overs after coming on following a decent Essex powerplay (67-1) and was grateful for a quite brilliant diving catch on the run from mid-on by Vince to see off the left-handed Jesse Ryder .
Then Tom Westley, who had made 33 from only 17 balls (six fours), was caught by Carberry on the point boundary.
This might have been a dead rubber but Dawson treated it like another game of cricket, just like Tuesday night.
It says a lot for the 26 year-old that it was not his first game since his England heroics, following his Second Eleven Trophy appearance on Wednesday (his last 50-over game before the England Lions’ tri-series against Pakistan A and Sri Lanka A the week after next.)
But the night’s champagne moment belonged to Carberry for his stunning direct hit from deep mid-wicket to run out Ashar Zaidi.
Scorecard
Essex Innings
Ryder c Vince b Dawson 22
Velani c Vince b Andrew 10
Westley c Carberry b Dawson 33
Zaidi run out (Carberry) 47
Bopara c Alsop b Afridi 17
t. Doeschate c Ervine b Andrew 8
Lawrence not out 0
Extras 2nb 6w 0b 8lb 16
Total (20.0 overs) 153-6
Fall of wickets: 1-24, 2-70, 3-78, 4-127, 5-152, 6-153.
Bowling: Best 2-0-25-0, Wheal 3-0-25-0, Andrew 4-0-35-2, Dawson 4-0-19- 2, Afridi 4-0-14-1, B Taylor 3-0-27-0.
Hampshire Innings
Carberry c Westley b Quinn 24
Vince b Napier 62
Alsop c & b Lawrence 0
Dawson c Bopara b Zaidi 8
Ervine c Westley b Zaidi 6
Afridi c & b Quinn 10
McManus c Lawrence b Bopara 17
Taylor not out 9
Andrew not out 2
Extras 2nb 6w 0b 8lb 16
Total (20.0 overs) 153-6
Fall of wickets: 1-42, 2-43, 3-68, 4-97, 5-112, 6-123, 7-147.
Bowling: Walter 1-0-7-0, Lawrence 3-0-28-1, Quinn 4-0-36-2, Napier 3-0-25-1, Ashar Zaidi 4-0-16-2, Westley 1-0-9-0, Bopara 4-0-26-1
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