Notts Outlaws captain David Hussey highlighted the dismissal of Samit Patel as the defining moment of his side’s three-run Duckworth Lewis defeat in the semi-final of the Friends Provident t20.
Patel backed up a solid bowling display with an aggressive fourth wicket stand alongside Hussey but was caught on the boundary by gargantuan all-rounder Kieron Pollard.
“When Samit struck it I thought it would go for six but Pollard picked it from the sky,” said Hussey.
“He was the only fielder tall enough to have taken that catch but that’s how tight the margins are in Twenty20.
“The Somerset batsmen were superb but the game was finely balanced and I would have backed our batsmen to have won the game if we hadn’t gone for rain.
"When Samit struck it I thought it would go for six but Pollard picked it from the sky." - David Hussey
“I’m very proud of the boys because they have played exceptionally well throughout the tournament. I thought that we would be unstoppable if we performed to the best of our ability today but mother natured intervened.
“I’m disappointed but we knew the rules and the umpires kept both teams up to date with the Duckworth-Lewis par scores so I’ve got no arguments.”
Marcus Trescothick helped Somerset make a positive start having lost the toss and been put in to bat by Hussey. He reached 50 from 36 balls but was stumped by Chris Read as the Outlaws wrestled the initiative with economical spells from Patel (1-20) and Graeme Swann (2-24).
Somerset posted 182-5 but rain fell throughout the interval delaying the Outlaws’ run chase. A revised victory target of 152 from 16 overs seemed achievable on a good pitch but Notts slipped to 47-3 as Swann, Brown and Hales fell.
Patel and Hussey got Notts ahead of the rate as rain approached but Pollard’s catch signalled a shift in momentum and the players were forced from the field with Notts 117-4, three runs behind the par-score.
A nervous wait ensued before the decision was taken to abandon the game, handing victory to Somerset.