Lewis Gregory and his Somerset side had been on-fire in T20 cricket this season, but both struggled against an impressive Sussex Sharks team.
“We haven’t quite fired with the ball this season as we would’ve hoped, but I think you’ve got to put it down to them as well,” Gregory explained.
“I think Luke Wright played brilliantly and put us under pressure, made us have to try and do different things to try and keep him quiet.
“We didn’t quite manage to do that today which is a real shame but it’s a game of cricket at the end of the day just unfortunately we came out the wrong side of it.
“It’s obviously disappointing.”
Little can be blamed on the batting with 203 a daunting chase on almost any pitch, it was the first innings that will give Somerset most frustration:
“We would’ve been happy chasing around 180 – that’s what we were looking at.
“We didn’t quite adapt well enough. Someone that’s a very good T20 cricketer came off on the day and unfortunately it was too much for us.”
In the form of Chris Jordan and Jofra Archer they arguably faced two of the best death bowlers around and at the time when Gregory and Anderson would normally take the game away from their opposition.
“They are very good, they’ve got a reputation for it, and on the big stage they have done it today. We’ve been brilliant at the death with the bat this year, but we came up against two high-quality bowlers today who were right on their game. We just couldn’t quite get them away.”
“When you’re chasing down 200 on a slow-ish wicket it makes it very difficult.”
But today should not tarnish what has been a solid year in two competitions for Somerset, just sadly for them with the Championship title now decided confirming a second-placed finish at best, and losing in the semi-final today, they’ve not being able to shake off their ‘nearlymen’ tag.
“We’ve been brilliant throughout this competition, we’ve shown that consistently throughout the group stage and the quarter-final. On a day like this it comes down to whoever performs and whoever deals with the pressure best – unfortunately we didn’t quite do that today.”
“I see this team going a long way in the next few years. We’ve got a really good, strong nucleus of young-ish guys with some experience dotted around it.
“If we continue to grow the way that we have and the speed that we have in this campaign, then I’m sure we’ll be in a really good place the next couple of years.”
