Stevo’s six sixes cause Hampshire headaches

By Mark Pennell

IT was a tale of two pitches as far as Kent’s Twenty20 match-winner Darren Stevens was concerned when the Leicestershire-born right-hander described his two contrasting cup half-centuries of the summer on Monday night.
Stevens followed his blistering 50 against Middlesex at Lord’s with an excellent 56 off 27 balls against Hampshire that helped Spitfires end Tunbridge Wells Festival Week with a crucial eight-run win over the Hawks.
Weighing up his two differing cup half-centuries afterwards, Stevens said: "The Lord’s pitch was a belter, the ball came on nicely and I could play proper cricket shots.
"Whereas this pitch at Tunbridge Wells was a little bit slower. There was also a big breeze going across the ground, so tonight it was all about getting the ball into the air. If you noticed, all but one of my big shots, the six sixes, were toward the Railway End, and that“s because the wind was helping me in that direction. It was quite deliberate.
“I was looking to hit straight and with the low full-tosses I was able to just get my bat underneath them, then it was just a case of standing back and watching the ball sail over the ropes.
“I thought the shot I got out to was going to be a one bounce four, but I picked out the wrong man in ’Carbs’ (Michael Carberry) and he came from nowhere to catch me at deep extra cover.”
Kent are next in action on Wednesday night when they travel to the Brit Oval to take on Surrey.

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