Notts Outlaws return to Trent Bridge for NatWest T20 Blast action as they welcome Northants Steelbacks on Saturday afternoon.
The Outlaws have a bumper two weeks of cricket at home, starting with the visit of the Steelbacks on Saturday and followed by two further T20 matches and two LV= County Championship clashes.
The Steelbacks have enjoyed the same sort of form as the Outlaws so far this season but have gone on a run of late and will bring some explosive players on their trip to Nottingham.
Head To Head
The two county sides have usually competed in different qualifying groups, so have only met before on six previous occasions in the domestic T20 competitions.
One of those, the 2011 match at Northampton was abandoned without a ball being bowled.
The other five matches have featured three victories for the Outlaws and two ties, one of which was the 2010 clash at Wantage Road.
Last Time
A man of the match performance from Riki Wessels helped Notts Outlaws to the victory they needed to ensure qualification for the quarter-final stages of the NatWest T20 Blast competition when the sides last met on July 23 2014.
Wessels scored 64, sharing in a stand of 102 with Samit Patel, who made 42, as Notts posted 174-6 against Northants Steelbacks at Wantage Road.
The Steelbacks, winners in 2013, were always behind the required run-rate and although Kyle Coetzer made a brave 67 his side ended on 152-7, losing by 22 runs.
During the course of his innings Wessels became only the sixth Outlaw to pass 1,000 T20 runs for the county and he was understandably delighted to score runs against his former employers.
After an indifferent performance with the bat three days earlier, against Leicestershire Foxes, the Outlaws’ innings had a different tempo to it, almost from the off.
Steven Mullaney promoted to open the batting, in the absence of Lumb, hit David Willey for four boundaries in the second over of the match.
Not to be outdone his partner, Alex Hales, put Olly Stone away for two fours and a huge six over long on in the next over.
Willey changed ends – but not his fortune – as he was brutally hit into the crowd by Hales in the fifth, an over, which saw Notts bring up their half-century.
The stand was broken in the final over of the powerplay, with Hales (28) chopping Crook onto his stumps.
From 54-0 it then became 56-2 as Mullaney (22) followed in the 7th, flicking Azharullah into the hands of fine leg.
Former Steelbacks player Wessels arrived at the crease to a very warm reception from both sets of fans and helped keep the board rotating in a splendid third wicket stand with Samit Patel.
The 100 came up in the 13th over and in the next Patel launched James Middlebrook into the stands.
Willey came back for more punishment – and found it – with Wessels clubbing three more to the fence and one miles over it in an over that cost 20.
On 47 Wessels had a half-life, this time Willey the fielder couldn’t scoop up the dropping ball at long on.
The batsman advanced to his half century (30 balls 5x4 1x6) and then clubbed Azharullah for his second maximum.
Patel had been the perfect foil for his partner before falling for 42 from 33 deliveries, hitting Crook into the hands of Willey.
The dismissal came after 17.2 overs and between there and the finish Notts lost three more wickets, whilst adding only 16 more runs.
Franklin (1) came and went quickly, skying his second ball from Crook straight up and back down into the hands of ‘keeper Ben Duckett.
Wessels (64) nicked Azharullah behind and Chris Read was bowled, trying to whip the same bowler to leg.
James Taylor finished on four not out and Sam Wood was unbeaten on six. Crook finished with 3-19 and Azharullah claimed 3-31. Willey’s figures weren’t quite so impressive, 3-0-49-0.
Willey’s (3) miserable night was concluded when he hit Ajmal Shahzad high onto the off side and Taylor took a well-judged catch.
Northants hopes of chasing down the Notts score – and keeping their mathematical hopes of qualifying still alive – all but ended next ball as Richard Levi (6) edged Shahzad through to Read.
Adam Rossington (11) hit the first maximum of the innings, lofting Franklin over midwicket but when he tried to emulate the effort down the ground he could only pick out Mullaney.
The wicket was Franklin’s first for Notts.
Kyle Coetzer, on 20 at the time, hit Patel’s first delivery straight back at the bowler – but the pace on the ball was sufficient for it to wriggle free and fall to the floor.
Crook (37) tried to inject some momentum, hitting Mullaney for a square cut four and a lofted 6 in the eleventh over. Coetzer swept Patel high over the ropes for 6 but when his partner tried another big blow he could only look on ruefully as long on plucked a sensational catch out of the sky.
Wessels, miked up to speak to the live television broadcasters, had been speaking about the luminous green football boots he was fielding in. He omitted to mention their outstanding springing ability because Wessels soared high to take the ball one-handed.
Coetzer reached his 50 (36 balls 6x4 1x6) and went on to reach 67 before Harry Gurney fired one through his defences and into the stumps.
Graeme White was unluckily run out without scoring. He drilled the ball back into the stumps at the far end and set off for a non-existent run, leaving Luke Fletcher just to gather the ball and remove a stump with the former Outlaw stranded halfway down the wicket.
30 were still needed from the final over but despite a four from the first ball it gave Franklin an opportunity to pick up a further wicket as Matt Spriegel (20) picked out Hales in the deep.
History
The first time the sides met was in the quarter-finals of the 2006 competition and the Outlaws dominated throughout the evening, eventually triumphing by 63 runs.
With David Hussey and Samit Patel adding 121 together for the 3rd wicket, the Outlaws posted a total of 213-6, their highest score in the competition to that point (it has still only been surpassed twice).
Hussey made 71 from only 34 deliveries (5x4 5x6) and Patel scored 65 from 38 balls (5x4 4x6).
Lance Klusener, a former Outlaw, punched a typically ebullient 72 not out (52 balls 3x4 5x6) in Northants reply but the task was always too steep and the home side restricted the visitors to 150-6 to advance through to Finals Day.
Apart from Klusener, the Steelbacks side contained five other players (Bilal Shafayat, Riki Wessels, Ben Phillips, Usman Afzaal and Jason Brown) who would represent Notts during their careers. A former Northants player (Graeme Swann) was in the home line-up as well.
Played For Them Both
New Zealand international Ian Butler has represented both Notts Outlaws and Northants Steelbacks over the past two years.
In 2013 he came to Trent Bridge to bolster the squad for the T20 competition and played his part in helping the side to the quarter-finals, taking 12 wickets in the ten matches he played, as well as scoring 41 runs from a handful of opportunities.
In 2014 he joined the Steelbacks and appeared in four T20 matches and two first-class matches, which featured a score of 48 not out.
A number of other players, particularly in recent seasons, have turned out for both Nottinghamshire and Northamptonshire. Among them are, Usman Afzaal, Nicky Boje, Mark Bowen, Jason Brown, Phil Jaques, Lance Klusener, Richard Logan, David Lucas, Wayne Noon, Ben Phillips, Bilal Shafayat, Graeme Swann, Riki Wessels and Graeme White.
Stats (for all domestic T20 fixtures between Notts & N’hants)
Highest Team Total
Notts: 213-6 (TB 2006)
N’hants: 160-6 (TB 2006)
Highest Individual Innings
Notts: 71 DJ Hussey (TB 2006)
N’hants: 72* L Klusener (TB 2006)
Best Bowling
Notts: 4-19 DJ Pattinson (TB 2010)
N’hants: 3-16 WPUJC Vaas (TB 2010)
Coverage
BBC Radio Nottingham will be providing full match commentary and there will also be on-line coverage via the BBC Sport website.
Follow the live scorecard, regular text updates and radio commentary through your perfect match-day companion Trent Bridge Live.
Notts Outlaws NatWest T20 Blast Fixtures & Ticket Information
v Northants Steelbacks – Saturday 27 June 2.30pm BUY TICKETS
v Worcestershire Rapids – Friday 3 July 6.30pm BUY TICKETS
v Derbyshire Falcons – Friday 10 July 6.30pm BUY TICKETS
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