v Warwickshire Bears NWT20 Blast at Edgbaston

Mullaney stars as Outlaws sneak win

Notts stayed on course for quarter final qualification with a hard fought six run victory over Warwickshire at Edgbaston last night.

 

With Phil Jaques now back in Australia Sam Wood came in, Warwickshire meanwhile elected to play a couple of youngsters as Chopra won the toss and elected to bowl.

 

Play got underway 15 minutes late due to early evening rain. Mullaney was moved up in opener and soon got to his stride as Rikki Clarke and Chris Wright opened up for the Bears.

 On the last ball of second over, Hales pushed the ball straight at Clarke at mid off and was run out by a country mile as Saggers in the Murdoch TV box was not required to adjudicate, 18 for one. Mullaney tucked into some dross from Wright and Rankin and raced to 36 off 14 balls including three sixes and three fours. He then skied Rankin to mid off as Notts were now 49 for two. The innings was beginning to wobble as Patel (1) hit his second ball from Clarke to his namesake at mid on off his second ball. Taylor decided to waste the final of five balls of the power play as five successive balls were not scored off, Notts 60 for three. Wessels was desperate to keep the scoring tempo going and after Taylor finally got off the mark off his eighth ball Rankin was hit for successive fours. Wessels (29) perished in the tenth over being caught behind by stand in keeper Peter McKay as Patel was turning the screw from the City End. Notts were 81 for four at the halfway stage. Taylor suddenly woke up and hit some more poor fare from Rankin for three successive sixes. After adding 40 with his skipper Franklin (12) drove Javid straight to Evans at long off, 121 for five. Javid completed his four spell only conceding 21 runs as Notts once again were bogged down by the slow men. In fifteenth over Read was well caught by McKay for two and then Wood fell first ball bowled off stump as Jeetan Patel who finished with the game's most economical figures 4-0-16-3. Notts were clearly once again a batsman light as Number One strode to the wicket but he added 23 with Taylor until Titch's strangely paced innings ended as he was caught at deep mid wicket with four balls remaining. His 44 came off 47 balls but included an amazing 23 dot balls which could have cost his team dearly. Fletcher hit his first ball for six but perished for his team's cause off ball two finding Evans at deep mid wicket. Notts 158 for nine at close of the innings with the score appearing 10 or so runs under par but helped by Mullaney’s early innings impetus and poor bowling from Rankin (3-0-40-1) and Wright (4-0-47-2).

 

The Bears got off a steady start as the fourth over of the innings bowled by Shahzad went for 15. Mullaney dropped a sitter at mid on in Shahzad’s second over with Porterfield on 30 but made amends with a spectacular one handed catch above his head at mid off in the same over as Chopra went for 14, Warwick 51 for one. Jonathan Webb departed second ball as he lost his off stump to Samit. Rikki Clarke hit successive balls in Patel’s third over for six and four but next ball also lost his off stump to depart for a 11-ball 16, 80 for three in the eleventh. Mullaney, dropped catch accepted, was having a good game and got Porterfield to perish at long on as Franklin took the catch; Porterfield had made 51 off 42 balls with four fours and two sixes, 99 for four. Laurie Evans was then stumped by Read off Mullaney whose four overs from the Pavilion End had cost 28 runs for two wickets; Warwick 115 for five with 44 now needed off 26 balls. Freddie Coleman the young Scotsman who came in at seven and looked confident as Gurney’s last two balls off his third over went for successive fours. Warwick now needed 31 runs off the last three; the sparse crowd were getting excited. Over 18 from the Metronome went for 12 as the final ball went for an edged four. Nineteen off two as Bears were now favourites but Gurney’s last over from the City End went for six as Warwickshire now required 13.

 

Cometh the hour cometh the big man as Fletcher had Javid (18) very well caught for 18 off his first delivery of the final over. Sam Wood who had bowled a solitary over for seven injured himself taking the catch and left the field. Balls two and three were dot balls as the Metronome was in full swing. Forget slow short ball bouncers this was bowling straight out of 1980s manual of limited overs bowling. Coleman who finished on 20 not out got a leg bye off ball four. Warwick now needed two sixes, ball five was hit for four by Patel as Notts now knew they had won. A single was taken off the last ball as Bears closed on 152 for six. It was very much the case of cool hand Luke for the second game in succession; death bowling at its best. Patel finished with four overs two for 28. Mullaney was named man of the match. Notts now have a 12 day gap before putting their pyjamas on once more against the Foxes at TB. MAG