Joe Clarke units Notts off to blistering begin in win over Foxes
b>Nottinghamshire 165 for 8 (Clarke 72, Scriven 4-21, Parkinson 3-22) beat Leicestershire 143 for 8 (Mulder 38, Mullaney 3-18) by 22 runs
Joe Clarke hit three sixes in a 41-ball 72 and Colin Munro 28 off 17 as a blistering begin by the Outlaws proved to be sufficient to arrange a 22-run North Group victory over Leicestershire Foxes within the Vitality Blast.
The Outlaws had been 78 for 1 after eight overs having opted to bat first, and although the Foxes got here again strongly with the ball to limit the guests to 165 for 8, their efforts with the bat proved woefully insufficient.
Nick Welsh (32 from 30) and Peter Handscomb (28 from 30) placed on 63 for the primary wicket however regardless of Wiaan Mulder hanging 38 from 26 balls late within the innings, the Foxes fell 23 runs in need of their goal, Steven Mullaney taking 3 for 18 from his 4 overs, leg spinner Calvin Harrison 2 for 14 and Shaheen Shah Afridi 2 for 28.
Pace-bowling all-rounder Tom Scriven took a career-best 4 for 21 for the Foxes in solely his fifth Blast look, backed up by 3 for 22 from canny left-arm spinner Callum Parkinson, whereas Mike Finan equalled the county file for the format with 4 outfield catches.
Yet they ended on the dropping aspect once more as their aspect suffered their ninth defeat from 11 matches to stay rooted to the underside of the group.
A seventh win for the Outlaws places them in a powerful place to assert a quarter-final place, though they suffered a double blow on the evening with abroad star Munro unable to area after struggling what regarded like a hamstring damage whereas batting, and veteran all-rounder Samit Patel leaving the sector with an obvious ankle damage after the fourth ball of his third over.
The Outlaws had been 60 for 1 after an eventful powerplay which noticed Parkinson dismiss Alex Hales for the fourth time in 5 seasons however then drop one in all two catching probabilities the Foxes failed to carry.
Munro was put down at brief advantageous leg on 5 off left-armer Finan earlier than Parkinson spilled a neater one at brief third man as Clarke, on 26, went for the ramp towards Matt Salisbury, Munro ending the over with 4 and 6. The Foxes had been usually sloppy within the area within the powerplay.
Munro wanted prolonged therapy within the seventh over, was capable of proceed as Colin Ackermann’s first over went for 15 however fell within the ninth as he mistimed a lofted drive towards Rehan Ahmed to be caught at lengthy on, two tidy overs from the leg-spinner checking the Outlaws’ progress a bit of as they reached the midway level at 91 for two.
Clarke stepped on the accelerator, including sixes off Finan and Scriven to an earlier most off Ackermann as the following 22 balls noticed the Foxes leak 41 runs however the form of the Outlaws innings then modified dramatically with the lack of three wickets in seven balls.
Scriven, hammered down the bottom for six by Clarke the earlier supply, took revenge when the Outlaws’ main run-scorer miscued excessive within the air to backward level, earlier than Parkinson struck twice in 5 balls, having Matt Montomery caught at lengthy off earlier than trapping Tom Moores leg earlier than on the again foot.
Notts had slipped from 133 for two to 136 for five, a triple blow that price all of them their momentum with solely 29 added within the last 5 overs as Scriven rounded off a advantageous efficiency with three wickets and simply eight runs conceded in his two loss of life overs.
Samit Patel holed out to lengthy off and Finan turned the third Foxes participant – together with Arron Lilley and Wiaan Mulder – to take 4 outfield catches in a single Blast innings by safely pouching Shaheen Afridi after which Mullaney within the deep on the leg aspect.
Foxes openers Welch and Handscomb weren’t capable of match the Outlaws’ explosive begin however didn’t lose a wicket in posting 42 runs from the powerplay, though the Australian would have been run out on seven had a Hales’ throw hit.
Yet they struggled to search out any acceleration and had been already lagging behind the required fee at 74 for 1 after 10, having by then misplaced Handscomb, stumped taking place the pitch to Mullaney, as Moores made amends for lacking him off Samit Patel the over earlier than.
Rishi Patel introduced himself with a pulled six off Calvin Harrison however perished within the subsequent over, nicely caught on the additional cowl boundary as a reverse-sweep went incorrect and Mullaney claimed a second wicket.
Next over, Welch holed out to Hales at deep midwicket earlier than Ackermann departed in essentially the most weird style, handing Mullaney a caught-and-bowled likelihood which he dropped however claimed at a juggling second try because the ball bounced again to him off the chest of Mulder, who was standing a yard from him on the non-striker’s finish.
By now, the run-rate was starting to look past the Foxes, who misplaced Ahmed caught behind as Harrison accomplished the stricken Samit Patel’s unfinished over earlier than Scriven discovered Hales on the long-on boundary, with 70 wanted from 27 balls.
Mulder launched back-to-back sixes off Jake Ball however they had been not more than a comfort with 29 wanted off a last over wherein Shaheen bowled him and Finan within the house of 4 balls.