Batting first at the Rose Bowl in Southampton, Hampshire put up 308 on the board in the first innings with Liam Dawson scoring a hundred. Jack Brooks took 5-56 for Somerset, who were bowled out cheaply for 137.

Keith Barker and Dawson were the wreckers-in-chief with the ball, picking up 5-32 and 3-61 respectively. Hampshire then put up another massive score in the second innings. This time, Nick Gubbins scored an unbeaten 139, while Fletcha Middleton and James Vince got fifties either side of him in the batting order.

They declared at 330-3 setting Somerset a target of 502 in the fourth innings. After losing Tom Lammonby and Tom Abell cheaply in the run-chase, Dickson and Andrew Umeed negotiated the remainder of the evening session on Day three safely.

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Somerset started day four at 102-2, requiring exactly 400 more for victory. However, they were handed an early blow when Abbas produced a peach to get rid of Dickson in the second over of the day.

The ball seemed to come in with the angle to the right-handed Dickson. It pitched at just around off stump and held its line to beat his defence and castle the off-stump. Dickson was dismissed for 63.

Abbas then got rid of the other overnight batter, Umeed, in his very next over, leaving Somerset in a spot of bother at 113-4.

Since then, Tom Kohler-Cadmore and James Rew have stitched an 80-plus run partnership for the fifth wicket and have taken Somerset beyond 200.

Watch Mohammad Abbas knock Sean Dickson’s off stump with seaming beauty:

A Mohammad Abbas special to bowl Sean Dickson #LVCountyChamp pic.twitter.com/MTV0YZDjoU

— LV= Insurance County Championship (@CountyChamp) September 6, 2023