Summary

  • Kent Spitfires beat Birmingham Bears by 21 runs

  • Kent made 162-7 after Bears won toss and bowl

  • Half-centuries from Daniel Bell-Drummond and Sam Billings; Tim Bresnan took four wickets

  • Bears fall short as they are bowled out for 141; Matt Milnes takes 4-24

  • Kent join Sussex Sharks, Hampshire Hawks and Somerset at Finals Day

  • Hampshire v Somerset and Kent v Sussex in semi-finals at Edgbaston on Saturday, 18 September

Live Reporting

Adam Lanigan and Adam Williams

  1. Ben Watts
    on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra

    Denly is the only player in the Kent team to have played in a T20 finals day and he has a big role to play, especially after that life off his first ball with Bresnan.

  2. Matt Cole
    on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra

    Birmingham are bowling well here and causing Kent all sorts of problems.

  3. Chris Woakes continues after that impressive first over...

  4. Kent 19-1

    Bell-Drummond 10, Denly 1

    As Matt says, Kent not able to fully settle in these early overs.

    Daniel Bell-Drummond tries to hit Tim Bresnan down the ground and instead makes it look more like a seven iron.

    High in the air and just out of reach of mid-on running back. Two runs.

    Penultimate ball of the over finds its way down to fine leg for four, but it's a mixture of a top edge off the pull shot and a deflection off Bell-Drummond's helmet.

  5. Matt Cole
    on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra

    I'm just wondering if this was one of those sticky pitches and Kent will just have to bide their time on it.

  6. Chance for Tim Bresnan to make amends straight away as he comes on for a bowl at the Knackington Road End.

  7. dropped catch

    Dropped catch

    Kent 10-1

    Well, well - what a huge first over from Chris Woakes.

    First ball to new man Joe Denly and he finds his outside edge.

    It goes flying towards Tim Bresnan at first slip who moves to his left, but drops it!

  8. Matt Cole
    on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra

    You could see Crawley reaching for it and it looped up and was a very easy catch. That is definitely first blood to the Birmingham Bears.

  9. wicket

    Crawley c Hose b Woakes 4

    Kent 9-1

    WoakesGetty Images

    Massive start for the Bears and for Chris Woakes!

    Zak Crawley is done by the lack of pace and is too early on a shot into the legside.

    He just scoops it straight up for Adam Hose to take a simple catch at square leg.

  10. Ben Watts
    on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra

    This will be evidence of how ready to go Chris Woakes really is.

  11. Here comes Chris Woakes to share the new ball.

    Just what Bears and England fans in fact have been waiting to see for some time...

  12. Kent 7-0

    Bell-Drummond 4, Crawley 3

    Nice, patient start for Kent as Zak Crawley and Daniel Bell-Drummond rotate the singles before Crawley scampers a couple off the last ball.

  13. Get Involved

    Tweet using #bbccricket

    Oliver Kirkland: Official Birmingham Bears fans’ coach still 50 miles from Canterbury and not moved for 40 minutes! Omens not good…

  14. As Ben pointed out, Kent have lost their last four quarter-finals in the T20 Blast stretching back to 2009 when they thrashed Durham at Canterbury.

  15. Let's play!

    Zak Crawley and Daniel Bell-Drummond stride out to the middle for Kent in front of an expectant home crowd.

    Danny Briggs will open the bowling for the Bears...

  16. Get Involved

    Tweet using #bbccricket

    Who do you fancy to win this one and reach Finals Day?

    Are Kent going to make it a clean sweep for the south or will the Bears win through for a chance to play on their home patch at Edgbaston next month?

    Let us know using #bbccricket

  17. Ben Watts
    on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra

    Quarter-finals have not been Kent's friend in recent seasons and they'll have to overcome that this evening.

  18. Quarter-final catch-up: Part 3

    Abell powers Somerset past Lancashire

    Thursday saw the south make it three wins from three against the north as Somerset beat Lancashire by seven wickets at Taunton.

    There were early fireworks with the bat from Liam Livingstone for the visitors but regular wickets and some tight bowling by Somerset restricted Lightning to 184-9.

    Somerset wobbled at 12-2 in reply but big-hitting Will Smeed got them back on track first with 44 before Tom Abell and Tom Lammonby shared an unbroken partnership of 102 to see them over the line.

    Abell made 78 not out and Lammonby 47 not out as Somerset won with 10 balls to spare.

  19. Quarter-final catch-up: Part 2

    Hampshire hold nerve in low-scoring Trent Bridge thriller

    If Tuesday didn't have enough drama, Wednesday's tie between Notts Outlaws and Hampshire Hawks provided even more in spades.

    Initially, it had looked like being a routine win for holders Notts as Hampshire could only muster 125-9 from their 20 overs.

    The Outlaws were cruising too in reply after the powerplay and the expectant home crowd seemed to be already arranging their travel to Edgbaston next month.

    But Notts collapsed spectacularly from 83-3 to 109-9 to see the game turn on its head. Matthew Carter almost spared their blushes as he clubbed two sixes in the penultimate over to leave them needing just three to win off six balls.

    However, Brad Wheal held his nerve with the ball for Hampshire and Dane Paterson could not get him away before he was out and Hampshire won by two runs.

  20. Quarter-final catch-up: Part 1

    Sussex beat Yorkshire thanks to Rashid Khan's cameo

    Tuesday saw the first quarter-final tie at Chester-le-Street as Yorkshire adopted the north east as their home to face Sussex Sharks.

    The White Rose looked set to defend 177 as Sussex's run-chase stalled towards the closing overs.

    But enter Rashid Khan with a mesmeric dsplay of power hitting and improvisation to score 27 off just nine balls as Sussex won by five wickets with two balls to spare.