Twenty20 Cup semi-finals: Marcus Trescothick sets up Sussex showdown

Edgbaston: Somerset (146-3) beat Kent (145-5) by seven wickets

Scintillation by Marcus Trescothick, attacking new-ball bowling, and a vigorous display all round by Somerset made the second semi-final a far more compelling spectacle than the first.

Trescothick hit 56 from 32 balls with a power and precision that made England supporters either sigh or weep. He was sounded out about returning to international cricket for the ICC World Twenty20, but as soon as conversations turned to Trescothick making himself available for 50-over internationals as well, he shied away.

If Trescothick had returned to the England side for the World Twenty20 alone, and the environment had been friendly and familiar enough for him to feel secure, then there might have been a chance of his playing the Oval Test as a one-off measure instead of Jonathan Trott. It was the ground where Trescothick scored 219 against South Africa.

Before Trescothick’s master-class in maximising the power-play – Somerset scored 71 without loss from their six overs, Trescothick 53 of them – came Somerset’s new-ball bowling. Sussex and Northamptonshire had mixed up their pace bowlers during the powerplay with the object of containment, but Somerset opted to take wickets with their best bowlers: and from 32 for three Kent never fully recovered.

Charl Willoughby, who bowled straight though, and Alfonso Thomas supplied the penetration. Their opening thrust was too much for Joe Denly, who was bowled playing across the line towards midwicket. Since going on the England A tour of New Zealand last winter, Denly has been bowled too often for an opening batsman, yet such is the dearth of quality batting he is near the top of the list of England’s Test reserves.

Darren Stevens kept Kent in with half a shout by scoring 77 from 51 balls, and hit all but one of the 20 runs which came off the final over, Arul Suppiah’s over-the-wicket left-armers. England’s few one-day players of note have been keeling over at such a rate – no Kevin Pietersen, no Andrew Flintoff – that for the seven one-day internationals against Australia, England could do with a gifted striker like Stevens, who also wobbles some medium-pace.

Trescothick then drove 16 off the first over, crashed more cover-drives and picked up anything legside. The pitch’s slowness placed no restriction on his immense power and timing.