Notts Outlaws verify quarter-finals spot after Tom Moores prime scores once more
Nottinghamshire 168 for 8 (Moores 68) beat Leicestershire 164 for 8 (Mulder 83*) by 4 runs
Injury-hit Notts Outlaws confirmed their place within the quarter-finals of the Vitality Blast after defending a complete of 168 for 8 to beat Leicestershire Foxes by 4 runs regardless of a career-best unbeaten 83 from 50 balls for the guests by South African Wiaan Mulder.
Rishi Patel made 37 for the Foxes, who appeared favourites after posting 70 for two within the powerplay however couldn’t construct effectively sufficient on that begin as two wickets every from Imad Wasim, Shaheen Afridi, Matt Carter and Calvin Harrison restricted them to 164 for 8.
Wicketkeeper Tom Moores prime scored for the Outlaws for the second match in a row with 68 from 40 deliveries to earn his facet an away tie with Somerset as they bid to clinch a spot at finals day for the seventh time.
Captaining for the primary time after Steven Mullaney (facet pressure) was dominated out, Alex Hales received the toss and opted to bat first. As his first scoring shot sailed over the additional cowl boundary for six he would have had hopes of main from the entrance with a trademark Hales innings.
With Colin Munro and Samit Patel additionally (nonetheless) sidelined, the Outlaws wanted one thing of that nature, however after a begin bristling with intent Hales fell on 26 when he drilled a Michael Finan full toss straight to further cowl. Joe Clarke had already gone and Matt Montgomery was bowled with out scoring as Roman Walker struck in his first look of the season.
A powerplay 52 for 3 turned 58 for 4 within the seventh as Lyndon James was effectively caught at level. At 77 for 4 from 10, Moores received the scoreboard transferring with 4 and 6 off Colin Ackermann however then Haseeb Hameed misplaced his center stump to the superb Tom Scriven (4-0-19-1).
Moores continued within the vein of his stand-out innings in Friday’s defeat to Birmingham Bears as he and Imad Wasim added 52 for the sixth wicket however the ball after Moores was dropped on the boundary on 57, Imad slogged Finan straight to vast long-on. Afridi perished first ball happening the pitch and Moores holed out within the penultimate over.
The Outlaws have been once more with out Olly Stone as they sought to defend however although Afridi struck along with his first ball as Foxes skipper Peter Handscomb chipped straight to mid-on he couldn’t repeat Friday’s extraordinary four-wicket opening over and the Foxes have been effectively positioned at 70 for 2 from six, albeit with Patel gone, sufferer of a superb one-handed seize by Hales at vast mid-on.
Mulder was dropped at backward level off Jake Ball on 39 however leg-spinner Harrison stored the Outlaws within the sport with two wickets for simply two runs within the tenth, watching Ackermann give a simple catch to cowl earlier than bowling Lewis Hill behind his legs because the Foxes touched midway at 92 for 4.
Two wickets for Imad Wasim because the Outlaws spinners utilized the brakes noticed Louis Kimber and Nick Welch fall cheaply searching for to interrupt the shackles and at 103 for six, nonetheless 60 brief and with 42 balls left, the Foxes have been underneath strain for the primary time within the match, though a few good blows by Scriven and 15 in a single over by Mulder off Harrison introduced that all the way down to 32 from the final 24 deliveries.
Yet solely 12 runs off the subsequent three with Scriven top-edging Matt Carter to brief high quality leg and a 3rd catch for Hales on the run to take away Walker left 20 to get off the ultimate over bowled by Ball, which Mulder opened with a six over backward level however in the end proved 5 too many.