v Lancashire Lightning NWT20 Blast at Trent Bridge

LIGHTNING STRUCK BY PENALTY TO GIVE OUTLAWS A WIN


It might have not been convincing and it came with huge dollop of fortune but Notts have finally won a match after a winless run stretching 52 days. 

Wessels and Lumb had batted superbly and needing 56 runs with 47 balls and nine wickets left this game was won, but a series of dreadful shots saw them needing 15 off the last over. However Lancashire had gone passed the cut off point for starting the 20th over and Umpires O’Shaughnessy and Blackwell awarded Notts six penalty runs and suddenly only nine were needed, but with only two wickets standing. Fletcher got a single off the first ball of the over bowled by off spinner Arron Lilley. Then a dreadful full toss on leg stump was hit for six on the short Bridgford Road boundary by Sam Wood. A single followed and then Fletch played the ball on the leg side as Notts celebrated a win at last in front of a crowd of 10,769.

Notts won the toss and put the visitors in. Notts were unchanged from the Durham debacle, Alex Hales being unavailable for selection. Fletcher and Gurney opened up and kept up relatively tight as big guns Guptill and Petersen were restricted to 23 off the first three overs. Over four bowled by Jake Ball went for 17. However Gurney switched ends and had danger man Guptill (28) caught on the deep mid wicket boundary by Greg Smith. In the eighth over Peterson was leg before to Patel for 21, 63 for two. Patel was bowling well and he had Liam Livingstone caught behind by Wessels for nine, 81 for three after ten. Taylor took over the gloves at this juncture but his keeping was mixed and brought back memories of Pasty Harris. Notts ground fielding throughout the innings slipped below what is expected of a professional cricket team. Plenty of fumbles and one absolute horror moment when Mullaney dropped a simple caught and bowled offered by Karl Brown whilst on 39. Luckily the bowling of much better today with Samit Patel having figures of 4-0-31-2, commendable figures on the postage stamp and fast outfield. Jake Ball came back well with only 14 runs coming off his last three overs. When Karl Brown (47) was caught at deep mid wicket off Gurney, Lancashire stood on 125 for four with just 25 balls left. As ever, Buttler tucked into the final overs as Notts conceded 59 runs as Butler raced to unbeaten 56 off 29 balls with five fours and three sixes. He hits the ball very hard and far with 360 degree coverage, a very hard man to bowl to. Luckily Notts were more frugal with the extras, seven in total with just one wide conceded and no over stepping. Lancashire 184 for four. Just above par.

Notts after a satisfactory start standing on 23 for nought after three overs suddenly exploded hitting 49 in three overs. Wagner going for 15, Jordan Clark conceding 16, then Edwards leaking 18. Notts 72 for 0 after the power play, 26 runs ahead of Lancashire at the equivalent score. Lumb who hit four sixes raced to 56 in 26 balls but was eventually caught on the deep mid wicket boundary off Parry for a 30-ball 53, Notts 100 for one after 8.4 overs. By 10 overs Notts were in an seemingly unassailable position at 111 for one. However when Wessels was bowled leg stump by the brisk Edwards for superb 58 (31 balls – 7 4’s and 3 6’s), Notts collapsed spectacularly. Christian having hit Wagner for a six and then getting a two was caught at third man off the Kiwi for 11, 143 for three in the 14th. Patel played his trademark chip shot straight down deep square leg’s throat to depart for a two ball blob, Clark the bowler. It was full scale panic stations as Smith who scored a run a ball 24 was bowled off stump by Edwards, who went from two overs for 31 to four overs for 38. Brendan Taylor struggled to get going and gave it way being caught at long on off Lilley for a nine ball five. Three balls later Mullaney having a poor Twenty/20 campaign was bowled off stump by Edwards, 166 for seven. Then Ball was taken at deep mid wicket by Liam Livingstone off Edwards who claimed his third wicket. Notts 168 for eight with eight balls remaining. Lancashire was then timed out and Notts got a huge lucky break which they seized with both hands. Wessels was named man of the match. Next up Northants in 50 over competition on Monday, expect Brett Hutton to come in for Ball. A lucky baseball win over Derby last season at Trent Bridge kicked started the campaign, Notts will be hoping the same applies after today. MAG

Having been out played by Bears in the first game then slaughtered by Durham Jets on Wednesday, Outlaws host a Lancashire side buoyed by the presence of Jos Buttler and with the confidence of being the reigning champions.


With such a poor start to the shortest format's campaign, something had to give for Outlaws and today's news will give some encouragement. Andre Russell however, will play his début game against Derby next week.

Mick Newell's promised working hard was played out at Lady Bay today against a Unicorn A side that gave a near full strength Outlaws XI a good game, falling 20 odd runs short in a 220 plus chase. Outlaws' bowlers did their job but allowed the game to be much closer than anyone would have expected.

In a second game Unicorns triumphed against a more Second XI Outlaws, Outlaws showing that they couldn't chase a bus at the moment.

The squad for the Lightning game is:

 Dan Christian (c), Jake Ball, Matt Carter, Luke Fletcher, Harry Gurney, Brett Hutton, Michael Lumb, Steven Mullaney, Samit Patel, Greg Smith, Brendan Taylor, Riki Wessels and Sam Wood.