T20 Blast final: Northamptonshire Steelbacks beat Hampshire Hawks
After producing a fine display with both bat and ball to see-off Notts Outlaws in the last four, James Vince opted to bowl first after winning the toss for the final, despite knowing the Steelbacks had beaten Somerset batting first in the opening semi-final.
Baker claimed the early scalp of dangerman and former Hawk Chris Lynn, the Australian veteran clipping a short delivery to Chris Wood at short fine leg, but the Steelbacks rallied with Vasconcelos and Nathan McSweeney (30) adding a swashbuckling 60 in six overs.
Another 69 followed between Vasconcelos and Lewis McManus from the next 7.2 overs with Northants 138-2 with 4.5 overs remaining before McManus holed-out off Scott Currie for 22.
It sparked an almighty collapse as left-handed opener Vasconcelos departed for a career-best 88 from 59 balls, featuring 11 fours and two sixes, falling to a slower-ball from Baker, the first of six wickets to fall in 12 deliveries.
Three of them came in Baker’s final over, leaving him with career-best figures of 5-21 – just three days after his 5-24 in the quarter-final – to become the first player to register a Finals Day five-fer.
James Fuller ended with figures of 7-62 across eight overs on the day as the Steelbacks were dismissed in the final over.
The Steelbacks made the perfect start to the reply as Toby Albert edged the first ball from Willey to the keeper but Vince and Weatherley – who had combined for a stand of 126 in the semi-final – steadied the ship with 40 before Vince skied one off James Sales to Vasconcelos to depart for 17.
Weatherley remained to surpass Luke Wright’s 2018 record of 125 for the most runs on a single Finals Day but lost Ben Mayes (9) before dangerman Tristan Stubbs (2) was bowled by a peach from leg-spinner Calvin Harrison five balls later and, despite Hilton Cartwright hitting 11 from four balls, he was yorked by Sales to leave the Hawks up against it with eight overs remaining.
Sales registered figures of 3-25 to make it 4-41 across eight overs on the day and 25 wickets in the competition.
Weatherley posted his second half-century of the day and had Liam Dawson in support but 74 were required from the final seven overs and 58 from the final five.
On the ground where he scored a career-best 68 for England against India on Tuesday, Dawson helped himself to 17 off Willey’s final over to move to 26 and leave the Hawks needing 41 from the final 24 balls.
Dawson spun to paddle a six over fine leg off Luke Procter to reach 35 from 18 balls but was calamitously run out at the non striker’s end two balls later after setting off for a leg-bye single which Weatherley turned down.
Fuller came in with 32 needed from 20 balls but Weatherley took charge to become the tournament’s leading run-scorer and leave his side needing 22 from the final two overs.
It was down to 17 two balls later before Procter cleaned up Fuller’s off-stump as he tried to cart the ball over mid-wicket and Currie followed two balls later as he botched an attempted ramp.
Weatherley then holed-out after a 53-ball stay which yielded nine fours and two sixes and Baker followed him straight after to start the Steelbacks celebrations.
