The Vitality T20 blast 2022 tournament final between Hampshire and Lancashire saw some unreal drama on the final ball of the match. The Hampshire players thought they had won it; stumps were uprooted to keep as winning souvenirs, and the fireworks had started blasting.
However, the euphoria was brutally cut short as the umpire was seen signaling a no-ball. Hampshire Hawks beat Lancashire Lightning by one run to win the Vitality Blast after a great finish to the final at Edgbaston.
Earlier, when Nathan Ellis clean bowled Richard Gleeson, the Hawks players started celebrating as they thought they had won the title, only for the ball to be called a no-ball. The fireworks went off and players in the dugout rushed onto the field to celebrate with their mates.
However, the umpire held his hand out to signal a no-ball, dampening the spirits. This no-ball call left Lancashire with a free hit and just two needed to win, a tie being enough for them to triumph courtesy of a higher powerplay total.
Ellis got back into his stride and bowled a slower delivery at which Gleeson swung hard, but didn’t connect. As the batters scampered for a single, the keeper collected the ball. The match ended in Hampshire winning their third Blast title, equaling Leicestershire’s record for England's most domestic T20 titles.
Watch the drama here:
Earlier, Matt Parkinson claimed 4/26 on the finals day, while Ben McDermott’s 62 off 36 balls proved more significant as Hampshire got to 152 for eight. Then while Lancashire looked goof at 72/1 in 8 overs, Hampshire spinners Liam Dawson (2/23) and Mason Crane (1/19) stifled the run rate.
Keaton Jennings (24), Steven Croft (36), Dane Vilas (23), and Luke Wells (27) got the starts for Lancashire, but in the end, failed to win the match for their team.
