Notts Outlaws v Essex Eagles | NatWest T20 Blast | Trent Bridge, Nottingham
Notts Outlaws team | Michael Lumb (45), Riki Wessels (9), Greg Smith (22), Dan Christian* (54), Samit Patel (21), Steven Mullaney (5), Chris Read + (7), Luke Wood (14), Jake Ball (28), Imran Tahir (99), Harry Gurney (11)
Essex Eagles team | Nick Browne (10), Jesse Ryder (77), Tom Westley (21), Dan Lawrence (28), Ravi Bopara (25), Ashar Zaidi (99), Ryan ten Doeschate (27), James Foster (7), Graham Napier (17), David Masters (9), Paul Walter (22).
Umpires | Rob Bailey, Neil Mallender & Graham Lloyd
Toss | Essex Eagles won and elected to bowl
Result | Notts Outlaws win by 39 runs
Match Report:
Notts Outlaws beat Essex Eagles by 37 runs after an amazing turnaround in fortunes once the visitors opening partnership had been broken in unfortunate circumstances.
Chasing the home side’s 160 for 7, the Eagles were given a superb start by Jesse Ryder who struck 10 boundaries in an opening stand of 65 in 7.1 overs with Nick Browne before he was run out for 47.
The New Zealander was backing up when Browne straight drove a ball when facing Steven Mullaney and the bowler struck out a hand and the ball hit the stumps.
With Ryder’s departure went the Eagles hopes as the innings completely imploded in dramatic fashion with the remaining nine wickets falling for 58 runs in just 11.3 overs.
Browne and Bopara were the only other batsmen to reach double figures hitting 22 and 10 respectively but the innings completely lost its way after the fine beginning.
Ashar Zaidi clubbed a 6 off the first ball he received but was then caught in the deep off the next delivery and not a single four was achieved in 11 overs as the Outlaws bowlers gained a stranglehold on affairs.
From 62 without loss at the end of the powerplay overs, the batsmen failed to find any tempo being restricted by accurate bowling over after over with spinners Samit Patel and Imran Tahir returning 4 for 20 and 1 for 24 from their 4 overs apiece whilst paceman Steven Mullaney tightened the screw with 2 for 16 from his allocation.
It was a miserable batting performance after the response to the Outlaws innings had started so promisingly.
The home side were put into bat and faced seven different Eagles bowlers in the opening nine overs as skipper Ravi Bopara rotated his bowlers over by over. Greg Smith top-scored with 50 whilst Riki Wessels contributed 36, Patel 23 and Dan Christian 21.
Nottinghamshire reached the end of their powerplay overs on 58 for 1 having lost Michael Lumb to the expensive Paul Walter for 11 who was caught by Jesse Ryder at slip.
But the Eagles, then reigned in their opponents with only 17 runs arriving from the next four overs during which Wessels was caught at backward square leg off the excellent Ryan ten Doeschate.
Bopara accounted for Smith who was bowled in the 14th over and with five overs remaining, the Outlaws were 122 for 3.
Ten Doeschate added the wickets of Christian and Patel to finish with 3 for 19 whilst Graham Napier removed Mullaney and Luke Wood to return 2 for 20 as the visitors attack turned in an economical display in the latter stages of the Outlaws innings to give themselves a fighting chance of reaching Finals Day.
