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There are sexier spin bowlers at this World Cup but few wilier than the Afghanistan stalwart

Osman Samiuddin03-Nov-20232:16

How impressive has Shahidi been as captain?

Pretend you’re an Afghanistan selector. You’re licking your lips at the fantabulous array of spinners you can call upon for a World Cup in the subcontinent.There’s the GOAT white-ball leggie who’s become so good now that teams consider it a win if they go at four an over against him and only cede the odd wicket; so good that eight years after his international debut, thousands of hours of video dissection later, we’re still only guessing which one’s the googly.There’s the right-arm all-sorts who has become possibly the world’s first specialist new-ball spinner, opening the bowling in 62 of the 72 ODIs he’s played, bowling in the powerplay in 69 of those. Who has taken more than three times as many wickets in the powerplay as the next most prolific spinner in that phase since his debut six years ago; whose 47 wickets are equal to the combined total number of wickets taken by that list’s top six.Related

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Netherlands run themselves out of the World Cup

There’s an 18-year-old left-arm legspinner and that’s it. Those words the sell. And for the first time since the mid-2010s, they’ve also got a solid fast-bowling pair, one left-arm, one right-arm. All of which means they didn’t even need to pick another couple of young leggie sensations for this World Cup.All bases covered right? Yep. All good.Now pretend you’re the opposition to an Afghanistan side. Got to plan this with care. See out Rashid Khan, don’t give him so much as a sniff (say a little prayer just in case because you’ll likely need it). Mujeeb ur Rehman, be very wary because though you want to go hard in that powerplay, here’s the data dump: he’s not going to let you. He goes at four an over he takes wickets. Sure, later on you might target him but don’t be rash when you start.And Noor Ahmad is no Kuldeep Yadav or Brad Hogg but he doesn’t need to be. Remember, his kind are still rare enough so that, every now and again, they spark all kinds of malfunctioning in perfectly functioning batting orders. And Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen-ul-Haq are both considerably better than you might think.Missing anything? Nope. All systems go.Except, hang on. Incoming.Mohammad Nabi sends his regards.Remember him? How could you forget? Part of the furniture so long he’s not the first name on the teamsheet, he is basically the letterhead. Precisely the guy oppositions might look past because, hello, right-arm zero frills. Nobody bothers doing video dissections of Mohammad Nabi because what are you trying to decipher? Whether he’s a handsome young-looking old man, or a handsome old-looking young man?

The stumping of Logan van Beek was obviously exceptional, a flighty, floaty gimme that dipped late and turned into an absolute gotcha, the kind of ball that cuts across all preferences and demographics: young, old, casual, hardcore, Bedi, Ashwin, red-ball purist, white-ball hedonist

And yet here he is at this most joyous of World Cups for Afghanistan, a better strike rate and economy than Rashid and Mujeeb and only a wicket fewer than both. Fact: other than R Ashwin, who’s only played one game, Nabi has the best economy rate for all fingerspinners at this World Cup.This latest, a Player-of-the-Match display in Afghanistan’s fourth win, was classic Nabi. Everyone was watching out for the others, the big turn, the carrom balls, the wrong ‘un, the leftie’s wrong ‘un, and in slipped Nabi behind them. Right-arm offspin? Sure, if you really want to call it that, but actual turn seems to be the least of it sometimes with Nabi.More like right-arm unsexy. Right-arm sorry-not-sorry. Right-arm scrooge. Right-arm gotcha. Right-arm hustle. Right-arm bustle. Right-arm squeeze. Right-arm tease. Right-arm raised-eyebrow. Right-arm lowbrow. Right-arm wise. Right-arm does-not-miss-a-damn-trick.Afghanistan had conceded six, nine, six, nine, six, eight and 11 in each of the seven overs before Nabi came on for the 12th. At least a boundary in each of them too, swiftly squandering the advantage Mujeeb’s first-over wicket had got them. Farooqi was not settling, Mujeeb was not settling, Netherlands were bossing it. Afghanistan got into a long on-field huddle. All eyes on Rashid, having just returned to the field, taking control of this impromptu timeout and… Nabi sent his regards.Mohammad Nabi celebrates Bas de Leede’s wicket•Associated PressTight on off, tighter on length, four dot balls in his first over, seven in his first two overs, 12 in his first three, three singles conceded, one boundary, not a single ball worth remembering, barely a single ball deserving to be hit. Nothing to see here folks, except the life being squeezed right out of the Netherlands start.By the time he got his first wicket, he’d already caused the fall of three others. Now you might think the using “caused” for run-outs here is generous and perhaps you’re right. But I prefer to think the three run-outs in his overs were his new magic trick, like a new variation. Right-arm run-outs. And if ever there was a case to be made for a run-out being the work of the bowler, then it was in Scott Edwards’ dismissal which, spiritually, was surely a stumping.In his next over, the innings’ 21st, he got Bas de Leede with what looked like an exceptionally unexceptional delivery, except that it did hang back a little longer, a little more outside off and made a point of not turning. Netherlands were 72 for 1 when Nabi came on. They were now 97 for 5.The real stumping later of Logan van Beek, by contrast, was obviously exceptional, a flighty, floaty gimme that dipped late and turned into an absolute gotcha, the kind of ball that cuts across all preferences and demographics: young, old, casual, hardcore, Bedi, Ashwin, red-ball purist, white-ball hedonist. Everybody loves The One Where The Batter Danced Out And Looked a Little Bit Silly. Un-obviously it was also exceptional, coming at the end of an over in which his speeds went up and down like an arrhythmic heartbeat, never letting either van Beek or Sybrand Engelbrecht settle.”Focusing on dot balls,” he explained later, as if it needed pointing out. “I always try to concentrate on my lines and lengths, and variations. I try to stick to my plans and use the angles. In some pitches, the variation is more, that is sometimes why I get more wickets.”Translation: look over there, at all those bright, flashy toys. That’s where the action is. Nothing to see here. Just me, quietly minding my own business and with it, Afghanistan’s too.

West Indies are also in contention to make the semis, but their fate is out of their hands

S Rajesh24-Mar-2022The washout in Wellington means South Africa are through to the semi-finals as the second-ranked team, while England’s emphatic win in Christchurch puts them in an excellent position to qualify as well. Here is how the teams stack up, with two positions still up for grabs, going into the last four games of the league stage.England
England’s win against Pakistan in 19.2 overs means their net run rate has gone up to 0.778, marginally above India’s and the best among the teams in contention for the semi-finals. If they beat Bangladesh on Sunday, they will qualify regardless of other results, but whether they finish third or fourth will depend on the result – and margin – of India’s match against South Africa. A washout will be enough for England too, given their high NRR.However, if Bangladesh upset England and if India beat South Africa, then England will be knocked out. In that case, Australia, South Africa, India and West Indies will qualify. However, if India lose to South Africa, then England could qualify even with a defeat on Sunday, as long as their NRR is the best among the teams on six points.West Indies
The only way West Indies can qualify is if at least one of India or England lose their last game and stay on six points. If both teams win, or even if their matches are abandoned, then West Indies will be knocked out because of their poor NRR.India
The one point that West Indies have got from the washout has made the task tougher for India: it is now highly unlikely that they will qualify if they lose to South Africa. For that to happen, England will need to lose to Bangladesh, and finish on a lower NRR than India.On the other hand, even one point from their last game will be enough for India to qualify.New Zealand
With three teams already having more than six points, and England and India on six with much better NRRs, New Zealand are pretty much out of it. Even if they score 300 and beat Pakistan by 200 runs, their NRR will only improve to 0.427. Both England and India will have to lose by around 75 runs for their NRRs to drop in the vicinity of New Zealand’s.Bangladesh can theoretically get to six points too, but their NRR is poor (-0.754) and their last two games are against Australia and England.

There was a 19-minute delay during Monday night's Mets-Phillies game at CitiField. The delay came after Alec Bohm grounded into a double-play during the top of the fifth inning. As Bohm was called out at first he looked towards center field and then he kept looking back as he walked back to the dugout.

Before play could continue with the next batter umpires stopped the game to find out what was wrong. After some confusion the SNY broadcast determined that Bohm was claiming to be distracted by a parabolic microphone set up in center field.

The microphones were eventually removed and play continued, but people immediately began pointing out that the mics were not new. In fact, they'd been there all season. Even worse, the Phillies home broadcast looked into it and determined that they'd been there for .

This information was revealed during Phillies Post Game Live as Ricky Bottalico roasted Bohm for wasting everyone's time.

"Let's talk about Alec Bohm over at third base," said Bottalio. "Okay Alec, you had a good deefensive game but what really kind of got to me? You caused a 19-minute delay on something that's been there since at least 2017. We went back and checked. That exact same thing has been there since 2017."

The media in New York wasn't happy either as WFAN's Boomer Esiason tweeted that the delay was "asinine."

What none of the annoyed viewers took into account was the possibility that the microphone had been distracting players since 2017 and maybe Bohm was the first one brave enough to speak up.

Unfortunately for the Phillies, that's where the heroics ended as the Mets outscored Philadelphia 10-0 after the delay.

Dambulla will play host to all three matches, with the fixtures acting as preparation ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup

Danyal Rasool02-Dec-2025Pakistan will begin their build-up to the 2026 T20 World Cup with a three-match T20I series in Sri Lanka next year, during early January. The Salman Agha-led side will travel to Dambulla in Sri Lanka, where all three matches will be played on January 7, 9 and 11.The short tour is Pakistan’s first white-ball assignment of the new year, and the PCB said it “will provide the side with valuable match practice ahead of next year’s global event”. Pakistan are playing all their World Cup games in Sri Lanka.Over the past six months, the PCB has heavily prioritised fielding the national team for as much T20I cricket as possible. Since the end of the PSL in May 2025, Pakistan have played home and away series against Bangladesh, a series in West Indies, two tri-series, the Asia Cup, and a home series against South Africa. They were victorious in all but the away series in Bangladesh and the Asia Cup, where they lost the final to India.Related

T20 World Cup: India grouped with Pakistan, England with West Indies

Sri Lanka have just concluded a three-week tour of Pakistan too, which saw them play three ODIs and a tri-series, with the latter also featuring Zimbabwe.Aside from the T20Is in Sri Lanka, Pakistan also have a three-match home series against Australia in the final week of January, before they return to Sri Lanka for the World Cup, which begins on February 7. Pakistan have been placed in Group A for the World Cup and their group fixtures, played in Colombo, will be against India, Namibia, Netherlands and United States.

They have called for an indefinite boycott of the Dhaka leagues

Mohammad Isam08-Oct-2025

Dhaka cricket clubs’ officials have called for an indefinite boycott of the Dhaka leagues in protest of the recently held BCB elections, which they are calling “illegal”. These are the same clubs that withdrew from the polls held on October 6 after claiming interference in the electoral process.Tamim Iqbal, who withdrew from the race before the election, was among the club officials present at the press conference in Dhaka on Wednesday. Masuduzzaman, the BCB councillor from Mohammedan Sporting Club, said that they had a majority of the clubs united in the boycott, which he said would also include district-level cricket.”Starting from the third-division cricket league, including the second and first-division leagues and the Premier League, all the organisers who are participating, we saw how the beauty of cricket got lost,” Masuduzzaman said. “Therefore, if you continue like this, we will not play cricket. We will also boycott cricket at the district level.Related

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“We will all remain united in announcing that cricket will be temporarily closed. We didn’t accept the elections. We said many times that this election should not be allowed to happen. But no one listened. In our opinion, he [Aminul Islam] has conducted an illegal election.”Hours later, BCB chief Aminul Islam said that they would protect the interests of the cricketers. “The betterment of Bangladesh cricket and the well-being of those who matter most – the cricketers – are the main objectives and goals of the BCB. We are all in this together; those within the board and those outside share the same philosophy and passion,” he said in a BCB press release.According to reports, at least 38 clubs are behind the boycott, including seven Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League (DPL) teams. These include defending champions Abahani Limited and their arch-rivals Mohammedan. The other DPL clubs are Legends of Rupganj, Gulshan Cricket Club, Brothers Union, Partex Sporting Club and Shinepukur City Club.Dhaka’s league structure has the DPL at the top of the pyramid, followed by the first-, second- and third-division leagues in a professional system that is the heartbeat of Bangladesh cricket. It is the competitive system that has sustained the country’s cricketers since the 1950s.As a result, the Dhaka clubs also enjoy the majority of positions in the BCB’s board of directors. Ahead of the elections this year, however, the Tamim-led faction had complained of interference, particularly after the BCB president issued a controversial letter on September 18, in which he asked the sports ministry to send a fresh list of councillors from the districts and divisions category.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has revealed the reason that Carlo Ancelotti never wanted to be Manchester United manager. Solskjaer was United boss between 2018 and 2021, a period in which Ancelotti was head coach of Everton. Solskjaer has admitted why the legendary Italian boss would never take on the United job, explaining what happened in a game between United and the Toffees.

Ancelotti has managed a number of football's heavyweights

Ancelotti has enjoyed a distinguished managerial career, and is widely regarded as one of the best managers of all time. Indeed, the Italian has won numerous pieces of silverware across stints with the likes of AC Milan, Chelsea, Real Madrid (twice) PSG and Bayern Munich.

And Ancelotti is hoping to add a World Cup winners' medal to his collection next summer having taken over the Brazil reins back in May. Brazil may have booked their spot at the 2026 World Cup but they flattered to deceive in qualification, finishing fifth in the CONMEBOL standings, a full 10 points behind defending world champions and rivals Argentina.

Still, despite taking charge of some of the biggest teams in world football, Ancelotti told Solskjaer when United took on Everton in a Premier League fixture that he couldn't handle the "pressure" of managing the Red Devils.

AdvertisementAFPUtd job is 'too much pressure' for Ancelotti

Speaking to Kelly Somers for , Solskjaer was asked about the pressure that comes with managing one of the biggest clubs in world football, to which the former Norway striker replied: "I remember one game, against Everton. I'm stood there in my technical area, fourth official next to me.

"Carlo Ancelotti comes across, so he's more or less in my technical area, and the fourth official says: 'Carlo, you need to get back into your technical area unless you want Ole's job.'

"Carlo, as Carlo is, he's always got a comment and a smile. He said: 'No, no, no. Too much pressure. That job is too much pressure.' So he walked back to his technical area and I thought, 'pressure is a privilege'. He always said that as well."

Ancelotti lasted just 18 months on Merseyside despite penning a four-and-a-half year contract at Everton in December 2019. Indeed, Ancelotti returned to Real Madrid in the summer of 2021 as he succeeded Zinedine Zidane in the Spanish capital after the Frenchman resigned from his role at the Bernabeu.

Solskjaer felt 'privileged' to manage United

Despite his time as United boss ending abruptly in November 2021, Solskjaer insists he was 'privileged' to occupy the Old Trafford hotseat. "I felt privileged to be the manager of Manchester United, but of course it's not the same as playing," the Norwegian said.

"As a player, you just do your job. Suddenly now you're the manager, you're the face of everyone. You think about all these supporters, players, everything surrounding Manchester United. But that pressure is a privilege because I was allowed to do that and I was allowed to deal with it in my way.

"And that was having great staff around us, an environment in and around the club that was very positive. But in the end, it doesn't matter if you enjoy coming to work every day, training sessions… you need results and we unfortunately had a very bad six-week spell and that's too long at a club like Manchester United and they made a change, which is fine.

"Reflecting back on it, it was sad. We lost to Watford of course, and I knew this was more or less the end. I drove my family to the airport, they went back to Norway, and I was going to work.

"I got a text – 'Ole, I need to see you in my office' – and I knew what was going to happen, so I rang my wife and said: 'I'll catch you up, I'll probably be back home before you!'"

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Getty Images SportUnited dismissal wasn't 'surprising' states Solskjaer

And when asked whether his dismissal felt sudden, Solskjaer said: "Sudden but not surprising. If you don't get results, you do make a change, that's football. But I felt we had something going."

Following Solskjaer's exit, Ralf Rangnick took over in the interim basis from December 2021 until the end of the season. Erik ten Hag was named head coach in 2022, before his exit in October 2024, with Ruben Amorim succeeding the Dutchman at the Old Trafford helm.

However, Amorim has also struggled since his appointment last November, ultimately guiding United to a 15th-placed finish last season, United's lowest in a Premier League campaign.

United are next in action on Sunday when they take on Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

Varun and Kuldeep shared six wickets in the final against Pakistan, before Sanju Samson steadied India’s chase

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Sep-20253:23

‘Clueless batting from Pakistan’

Varun: “Yeah, I feel great. Definitely, at that time, I was going for the wickets, and Fakhar [Zaman] and Sahibzada Farhan were going well. Yes, I had done some plans, and it worked out and the way Kuldeep came and finished – yeah, it gave me memories of KKR, when we were playing together. He’s always a star. He’s the best one of the best spinners.”If you see the trend in the last few matches, [in] the first ten overs, everyone is going berserk if they don’t lose wickets. After that, we knew that if we bowl on the right space, and [on the] right line and length, we can curtail them. And obviously, I would like to mention Hari [team analyst]. He’s a guy who’s done a lot of work behind the scenes, and due credit to him also.”Kuldeep: “Of course, it’s very important to bowl [well] in the middle overs. And, of course, me, Varun and Axar playing together is obviously a luxury to have. Everyone has a different role, so obviously they started really well, after 10-11 overs, they were like 100 for 1. We knew that if we get a couple of early wickets; probably not early, but after ten overs, we got a couple of wickets from him [Varun]. Obviously, it’s not going be easy for [a] new batter to come and score runs easily. Obviously, when I was bowling in the fourth over, I was looking to get them out.”Before the game, he [Hari] just sent the screenshot of the lengths of the lengths where we’re going to bowl to the batters. Especially, big thanks to Hari, and obviously [a] masterclass from Tilak – he was unbelievable today.”Sanju Samson: “Yeah, I really enjoyed the pressure actually. I have not played many India-Pakistan games, but today, I think the pressure was all over there. Three wickets down in the powerplay, so I just had to use my experience, calm the nerves down, and just watch the ball and react. That’s what I did, and it came off nicely. I think I had a really good partnership with Tilak, and really enjoyed playing the game today.”As you all know that the game dictates what type of cricket you need to play, and according to the conditions, you have to respect the conditions, you have to respect the situation. I think that’s what we have learned. Years and years of IPL, years and years of cricket, and that’s what cricket has taught us. So I just had to go out there and then look to time the ball, and that’s what really helped me.”Closer ones [games] are really good. That’s when your characters are being tested and that’s when you also get to test your own mental abilities. So I think that’s a really good awareness which we had just before the World Cup. I think this game was really crucial. Some of these knockout games do actually prepare us for the big games coming a few months ago [later]. And you’ve made some potent contributions.”Shubman Gill: “[Feels] pretty amazing. The whole tournament unbeaten, so it feels pretty amazing to be here in this position. Pretty amazing [to play with Abhishek Sharma]. We have played almost all our cricket together, and I think we know each other pretty much inside out, and it’s amazing to be able to bat with him. The way he bats, [he] takes off the pressure off the non-striker, whosoever is there, and he’s been phenomenal this tournament.”The conversation was to take it as deep as possible. The target wasn’t much, but it was important to soak in the pressure in the start. Losing three wickets early, [it’s] never easy, but I think the way first the partnership for us with Sanju and Tilak, how they batted, and then how Dube came in and hit those big sixes for us was very important.”[In the] final, playing against them, 30 runs in three overs, there wasn’t much panic, but the game can go both ways. You have seen, especially on a slow kind of a wicket, the boundaries are big here, so you really need to connect to be able to get those sixes and, like I said, the way both of them batted, first soaking in the pressure and then got the balls in the zone and they made sure that they hit it out of the park.”

Wolves have made an enquiry for Palmeiras manager Abel Ferreira, with executive chairman Jeff Shi receiving a reply.

Wolves to “take time” in new manager search

The Old Gold parted ways with Vitor Pereira on Sunday following their eighth Premier League defeat of the season and are no further down the line in regards appointing a long-term replacement.

David Ornstein has revealed that Wolves didn’t begin the process for a new manager until Pereira was sacked after the 3-0 loss at Fulham, despite their struggles all season.

“I think they wanted to give Vitor Pereira as long as possible. And therefore, they didn’t start a process to replace him before he was actually sacked.

“Once he was, the work began in earnest, or maybe Saturday night after the Fulham defeat, into Sunday, phone calls were starting to be made to express interest in a number of candidates, including Gary O’Neil.”

It looked as if Gary O’Neil was going to return to Molineux, however, he walked away from talks to leave the club at square one.

Under-21s head coach, James Collins, and under-18s head coach, Richard Walker, are in interim charge ahead of Saturday’s trip to Chelsea.

Sam Allardyce keen on taking Molineux job but reveals what Wolves are after

Veteran manager Sam Allardyce could potentially make a dramatic return to Premier League management.

ByJames O'Reilly Nov 5, 2025

It has been claimed that Wolves “want to take time” to find the right man after O’Neil’s move fell through and Rob Edwards distanced himself from the vacancy.

A leadership group involving Shi and Matt Jackson are involved in the managerial process, whereas Wolves are also being influenced by Jorge Mendes in the background.

The new Nuno Santo: "World-class" manager wants to hold talks with Wolves

Now, a new name has emerged with Wolves even making contact over a deal.

Wolves make Abel Ferreira approach

According to reports from ESPN Brazil, Wolves have made an enquiry over a move for Palmeiras boss Ferreira.

The Portuguese manager was wanted by Nottingham Forest following Nuno Espirito Santo’s exit and was also linked with Chelsea back in 2023.

However, following the latest move from Molineux chiefs, Ferreira has rejected Wolves’ offer as he is focused on the CONMEBOL Libertadores final and the Brazilian Championship with Palmeiras.

A two-time Brazil league winner with his current employers, Ferreira plays a 4-2-3-1 manager and has won 6-0 on four separate occasions.

Wins

361

Draws

149

Losses

154

Goals scored

1,093

Goals conceded

652

Points per game

1.86

Two of those came with Palmeiras and the other two in Portugal when he was in charge of Braga, and as can be seen, the 46-year-old has plenty of managerial experience at a relatively young age.

Unfortunately for Shi and co, a move to Wolves for Ferreira doesn’t look like it is on the cards in 2025, leaving Wolves to look elsewhere once again.

Freya Kemp registered a superb unbeaten half-century as Hampshire carved out a hard-fought five-run victory over Somerset at the Cooper Associates Ground to return to winning ways in the Vitality Blast T20 women’s competition.Hampshire elected to bat on a sound Taunton track and internationals Maia Bouchier and Charli Knott staged an enterprising opening partnership of 80 in 9.1 overs, scoring 43 apiece as bat dominated ball. Kemp then built upon solid foundations, raising a forthright 65 not out from 38 balls, striking seven fours and two sixes to propel the visitors to 169 for 6.Required to score at 8.5 an over, Somerset were bolstered by Niamh Holland’s superb career-best T20 innings of 60 from 53 balls. She struck six fours and two sixes, shared in stands of 52 and 63 with Sophie Luff and Amanda-Jade Wellington for the third and fourth wickets respectively and helped set up a tense finale.Wellington hit 44 from 25 balls to make a game of it, but the Australian was out in the final over and Somerset, looking for their first win of the Blast campaign, came up just short at 164 for 6. Linsey Smith was the pick of the Hampshire bowlers, returning figures of 2 for 26 from four overs.Hampshire won the toss, elected to bat and made a flying start, Bouchier and Knott accruing nine boundaries between them in raising a quickfire 51 from the six-over powerplay. Adept at finding the gaps, these two scored freely either side of the wicket to heap pressure upon the Somerset bowlers and force a series of errors in the field.Somerset skipper Luff deployed six different bowlers in the first nine overs in a bid to break the partnership and the home side breathed a collective sigh of relief when England batter Bouchier, having rushed to 43 from 26 balls with eight fours, fluffed her lines and skied a delivery from Wellington to long-on, where Chloe Skelton took an athletic catch.Making her final appearance before returning to Australia, overseas star Knott surrendered her wicket in almost identical fashion, attempting to hit Charlie Dean’s offspin over the top and succeeding only in finding Wellington at long-on with the score 90 for 2.Offspinner Skelton and seamer Mollie Robbins applied pressure through the middle overs, but Somerset were unable to contain Kemp, who proved effective in hitting the spinners down the ground. The partnership for the third wicket between Kemp and the experienced Georgia Adams gathered pace, the latter successfully adopting a supporting role as the more aggressive Kemp went through the gears.Adams had contributed 10 runs to a stand of 49 in 36 balls when she danced down the pitch to Dean and holed out to long-off in the 17th. Dean then pouched a return catch to send back Rhianna Southby without scoring next ball, Wellington ran out Abi Norgrove for 1 and Luff threw down the stumps to remove Mary Taylor as the visitors subsided to 152 for 6 in the face of a belated Somerset fightback.Unperturbed by chaotic events at the other end, Kemp went to an assured 50 from 33 balls, the left hander almost single-handedly lifting Hampshire to a competitive total.Somerset’s reply was undermined by confusion, Bex Odgers failing to respond when called through by Holland and being run out in the very first over. Fran Wilson then top-edged a Lauren Bell delivery to deep third and departed for 4 as the home side lurched to 19 for 2 in the fourth.It might have been worse for Somerset had Bouchier not dropped Holland on 15 at long-on off the bowling of Mary Taylor. The England Under-19 allrounder made good her escape to stage a restorative partnership with Luff, the third-wicket pair adopting a high-risk strategy in raising 52 from 34 balls to partially redress the balance. Hampshire kept their cool under pressure and Smith persuaded Luff to hit to extra cover for 23, at which point the home side were 71 for 3, requiring a further 99 at 10 an over.Holland did her best to keep Somerset in contention, going to a 39-ball half century in style, pulling Taylor over midwicket for six and then driving the next ball straight down the ground for four to bring an appreciative audience to their feet. Promoted up the order, Wellington provided valuable support as the fourth wicket pair advanced the score to 115 for 3 at the end of the 15th.Smith finally accounted for Holland in the 18th, pinning her lbw in the act of reverse sweeping as Somerset slipped to 134 for 4. The home side’s hopes rested with Wellington thereafter, but she was run out in the final over as Hampshire held their nerve.