Kent vs Nottinghamshire – Blast 2026 Match Report | Statz
Nottinghamshire won by 4 wickets (with 8 balls remaining) in a high-scoring T20 Blast encounter at the St Lawrence Ground in Canterbury. Match 60 of the 2026 season saw Nottinghamshire overhaul Kent‘s 184-7 with 8 balls to spare, powered by a magnificent unbeaten 82 from George Munsey.
Nottinghamshire won the toss and elected to bowl – a decision that looked risky when Kent posted 184, but their faith in their batting lineup was spectacularly vindicated.
Kent Innings: Billings Anchors 184
Kent’s innings started disastrously when Harry Finch was LBW for a duck off just the second ball of the match, bowled by Mohammad Amir. But Zak Crawley and Daniel Bell-Drummond responded with an aggressive second-wicket partnership.
Crawley hit 27 off 21 balls (4 fours) before falling at 58-2 in the sixth over. Bell-Drummond was fluent, striking 37 off 23 with 4 fours and a six, building a crucial third-wicket stand with Sam Billings before departing at 93-3 in the 10th over.
Billings was the star of the Kent innings. His 64 off 38 balls included 2 fours and 5 sixes, batting with real authority at a strike rate of 168. Joe Denly (18 off 15, 1 six) contributed 44 runs alongside Billings for the fourth wicket before being stumped at 137-4. Chris Benjamin fell cheaply for 4 at 142-5, but Grant Stewart provided late impetus with 22 off 13 (1 four, 2 sixes) before Billings was finally caught at 182-6 off the penultimate over. Kent finished on 184-7.
Amir was the pick of the Notts bowlers with 2-26 from 4 overs (economy 6.50). Benny Howell was tidy with 1-25 from 4 overs (6.25), Olly Stone took 1-29 from 4 overs, and Mohammad Ali chipped in with 2-45. Liam Patterson-White took 1-30 from his 2 overs.
Nottinghamshire Chase: Munsey’s Masterclass
Needing 185, Nottinghamshire needed a big contribution from the top. Joe Clarke got them off to a brisk start with 24 off 17 (5 fours) before falling at 36-1 in the fifth over. Jack Haynes came and went quickly for 1 at 37-2, and at 37-2 in the sixth over Notts needed 148 from 90 balls.
Munsey was already in and he was in devastating form. He found an able partner in Freddie McCann, who struck 25 off 16 (3 fours, 1 six) in a 42-run stand for the third wicket. McCann fell at 79-3, but Munsey kept going. He and Tom Moores (20 off 17, 2 fours, 1 six) put on 62 for the fourth wicket to take Notts to 141-4.
Then came a wobble. Moores was caught at 141-4, George Linde was bowled for 1 at 143-5, and Howell was bowled for 2 at 146-6 – three wickets falling for just 5 runs. Notts needed 38 off 28 balls with 4 wickets remaining.
Patterson-White came in and attacked immediately, blasting 22 off 10 balls with 2 sixes to put the chase back on track. But it was Munsey who anchored it all – his unbeaten 82 off 47 balls featured 4 fours and 7 sixes, and he was there at the end as Notts crossed the line in the 19th over.
Matt Milnes was Kent’s best bowler with 3-30 from 3.4 overs (economy 8.18). Frederick Klaassen was excellent with 1-22 from 4 overs (5.50), and Keith Dudgeon took 1-43. Denly added 1-12 from his single over.
Statz MVP: George Munsey (91.62)
George Munsey claims the Statz MVP with a match impact rating of 91.62 out of 100. His unbeaten 82 off 47 was the defining innings of the match – he arrived early, survived the wobble around him, and steered Nottinghamshire home. The Statz algorithm calculates impact based on match context, and Munsey’s ability to maintain intensity while wickets fell at the other end was the clear differentiator. No official Man of the Match was named.
Top 5 Statz Ratings
- George Munsey (NOT) – 91.62: Unbeaten 82 off 47 (4 fours, 7 sixes) anchored the entire chase.
- Sam Billings (KEN) – 77.46: Top-scored with 64 off 38 (SR 168) with 5 sixes to give Kent a strong platform.
- Mohammad Amir (NOT) – 69.42: Excellent 2-26 from 4 overs including the key early wicket of Finch.
- Liam Patterson-White (NOT) – 62.11: Match-changing 22 off 10 with the bat plus 1-30 bowling rescued the chase at 146-6.
- Matt Milnes (KEN) – 57.91: Excellent 3-30 from 3.4 overs nearly turned the match during Notts’ wobble.
Turning Point
Tom Moores’ dismissal at 141-4 (14.2 overs) triggered a devastating collapse of 3 wickets for 5 runs that almost swung the match Kent’s way. When Howell was bowled at 146-6, Notts needed 38 off 28 balls with the lower order exposed. But Munsey’s calm head and Patterson-White’s counter-attack ensured the wobble remained just that – a wobble, not a collapse.
Match Context
This was match 60 of 115 in the T20 Blast 2026 season. Nottinghamshire move to 7th in the standings (W4 L3, 16 points) in a tightly packed mid-table – level on points with Yorkshire, Surrey, Glamorgan and Essex. Kent slip to 9th (W3 L4, 12 points) and are now in danger of falling behind in the qualification race. Northamptonshire lead the way with a perfect 7-0 record.
Full scorecard: Kent vs Nottinghamshire Scorecard
