Usman Afzaal smashed 54 off 21 balls as Northants beat Somerset by 24 runs via the Duckworth-Lewis calculations in a rain-hit Twenty20 game at Taunton.

Afzaal took 32 off one over from Andy Caddick, with four sixes and two fours, before he was caught off Peter Trego.

It saw Northants to 92-1 off seven overs in reply to Somerset's 200-7 when the weather forced a premature end.

Marcus Trescothick provided the highlight of Somerset's innings with seven sixes in his 76 off 35 balls.

A sell-out crowd of 6,000 watched the game and the Sabres fans had plenty to cheer at the start as Trescothick and Cameron White gave them a flying start after the early departure of skipper Justin Langer for 15.

White played the lead role as they put on 69 in seven overs but once he had been caught off Steven Crook after hitting 41 from 25 balls, Trescothick came into his own.

Spinner Graeme White was struck for four sixes in one over as the England batsman went to his half century from 28 deliveries and two more followed off Jason Brown.

But Brown had his revenge when Trescothick was caught at extra cover, leaving James Hildreth (22) and Trego (20 not out) to do the bulk of the scoring in the closing overs.

Facing a tough target, Northants could not afford to hang about at the start of their reply and Afzaal and Lance Klusener were immediately on the attack against Caddick and new ball partner Gareth Andrew.

The pair conceded 85 from six overs with the new ball before Trego came on as first change and immediately had Afzaal taken at long-off by Wes Durston.

By then, however, Northants were well up on the required rate and although the downpour which began shortly afterwards prevented Klusener from adding to his 33 off 21 balls, it was of little concern as they took the points.

"Losing the toss didn't help because with all the rain about we knew Duckworth-Lewis could come into play," Somerset's director of cricket Brian Rose told the club's website.

"Northants were always going to come hard at us with the weather threatening and all credit to them because they smashed us out of sight.

"We now have to look at winning our next six games. It's a tall order but not impossible."