In a night of high drama at the Swalec Stadium, a brilliant last over from Michael Hogan, which included two wickets for the Australian and a run-out and also only cost two runs, denied Kent victory as the visitors attempted to chase down 178
A brilliant last over from Michael Hogan, which included two wickets for the Australian and a run-out and also only cost two runs, denied Kent victory as the visitors attempted to chase down 178.
Hogan trapped Adam Ball lbw and bowled Mitch Claydon with the second and third balls before Doug Bollinger and James Tredwell scrambled singles.
This left the visitors needing one run off the final ball to win with Bollinger facing. The Australian missed and was run out at the non-strikers end by Jacques Rudolph as Glamorgan recorded their first ever tie in Twenty20 cricket.
Glamorgan earlier posted 177 for seven with captain Jim Allenby top scoring with 54, with notable contributions from Chris Cooke (34) and Mark Wallace (33), while West Indian all-rounder Darren Sammy chipped in with 19 from 17 balls.
After Sammy had taken two wickets in an over, man-of-the-match Darren Stevens followed up his three wickets with a brilliant 71 from 39 balls which seemed the defining innings. But Kent had not reckoned without the final over Hogan heroics.
After being put into bat, Glamorgan lost Jacques Rudolph in the opening over as the South African failed for the first time in the tournament by holing out to Bollinger at mid-on from Stevens.
Allenby and Mark Wallace shared in a rapid stand of 76 from seven overs. Wallace had his share of luck after being dropped twice by Robert Key and Sam Northeast on his way to a breezy 33 from 22 balls with four fours and a six.
But it was third time lucky for Kent as far as the Glamorgan wicket-keeper was concerned as Wallace holed out to Alex Blake at deep square leg from Ball.
Veteran batsman Murray Goodwin continued his poor form when he was caught in the deep by Daniel Bell-Drummond from Stevens for one.
Allenby, fresh from scoring a brilliant unbeaten 96 against Somerset last Friday, had been watchful at the start before unleashing his innings, typified by a six over mid-wicket from the first ball of England spinner James Tredwell.
The captain brought up his 50 in 32 balls with six fours and that six before handing Stevens his third wicket with Bollinger claiming another catch.
The highlight of Ben Wright’s innings was a paddle scoop for six before he was caught at point by David Griffiths from the bowling of Tredwell attempting a reverse sweep.
This brought Sammy to the crease with just under five overs left. The West Indian all-rounder was watchful until striking Tredwell for a six over long-on.
Cooke, who had played a magical match-winning innings in the previous home victory against Sussex, contributed another useful 34 from 25 balls before he was caught by Griffiths from Tredwell.
Glamorgan lost their way in the closing overs as Graham Wagg was bowled by Bollinger for three, although Sammy cracked a cover drive off the final ball for four.
The hosts should be disappointed they did not post 190 after reaching 94 for three at the halfway stage and only adding a further 83 in the final 10 overs.
Kent made a rapid start in their run chase as they scored 34 from the first three overs from Allenby, Hogan and Wagg before an incredible introduction from Sammy.
After conceding 53 runs from his four overs against Gloucestershire last Sunday, including three front-foot not balls, Sammy struck with his second delivery with Bell-Drummond caught by Wagg at cover for 18.
Kent captain Key followed three balls later as his attempted sweep was snaffled by Andrew Salter at short fine-leg.
The West Indian was only denied a double wicket maiden by a scrambled single from the final ball of his over as the Glamorgan crowd started singing ‘Sammy is a Welshman’.
In Sammy’s next over, Dean Cosker was responsible for a brilliant run out to dismiss Northeast as Kent reached 48 for three from their six powerplay overs.
Some tight bowling by Salter and Allenby forced Kent to push the pace and Blake was bowled by Cosker with the final ball of the 10th over as Kent reached 76 for four, needing 102 runs to win from the final 60 deliveries.
Stevens was showing his intent the other end with sixes in successive overs from Sammy and Cosker but Wagg bowled a very tight over which only cost three runs.
But Stevens was again on the attack as he struck Cosker for two more sixes, the latter to bring up his 50 in just 29 balls including five maximums and one boundary.
That was a costly 14th over which yielded 19 runs and Stevens continued the assault as he and Billings put Kent into a commanding position of needing 29 runs to win 13 overs.
Salter bowled the 18th over and the gamble appeared to have paid off after his first ball brought the crucial breakthrough of Stevens with the Kent all-rounder holing out to Cooke at deep mid-wicket.
But some further big hitting from Billings brought the target down to just 13 runs from the last two overs.
Wagg accounted for Billings in the penultimate over but a six from Ball put Kent in the dominant position with only three runs needed from the final six balls.
But enter Hogan to rescue a tie for Glamorgan and send the crowd home happy. The Welsh county have now won three, lost one, with a tie and no-result completing the six matches they have played so far in their 14-game campaign.
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