v Essex Eagles NWT20 Blast Q/F at Trent Bridge

SUPER POWERED SAMIT PATEL PROPELS OUTLAWS TO CLOUD NINE 

As Essex implode, taking Notts to Finals Day
This quarter final looked all over after Notts had scored what looked a below par 162 with Essex 65 for nought after seven overs.

Jesse Ryder had been badly missed off debutant Luke Wood, who had come in for the hapless Taylor, with Mullaney not moving to a snick through the slips. But then the game turned, after a huge slice of luck when a drive from opener Browne was deflected onto the non striker's stumps by bowler Steven Mullaney and it removed non striker Jesse Ryder, who was dismissed run out for 47 after 30 balls and ten fours. 

Neil Browne, more a championship player than a white ball specialist, got completely bogged down by Mullaney and Tahir with dot ball following dot ball. After 11 runs came from 19 balls Patel then took three wickets in four balls as Essex imploded. First Browne was caught on the mid wicket ropes in front of The Fridge by Jake Ball for 29 ball 22 with a solitary boundary. New batsman Zaidi hit the next ball for six bit then trying a repeat the left hander holed out to Wessels at long on, 82 for three after 11 overs, suddenly Notts were back in the game. 

The next over from Mullaney went for five and Patel took a wicket with first ball of the next over as Westley was bowled making room for eight. The experienced pair of ten Doeschate and Bopara were now at the wicket but they just could not break the shackles as they added 16 runs but it took them 22 balls. Then ten Doeschate played a reverse sweep to Patel and was leg before for seven. Patel always a man for the big occasion had figures of 4-0-20-4 and the man of the match award. 

Essex had nothing left. Three balls later Bopara who had a poor match with bat, ball and as captain was caught at long off in Tahir’s last over, for a 15-ball 10. The limping Lawrence came in as the ground staff were ordered to mark out the creases on the used pitches for the runner. Lawrence got the leg spinner away for four as Tahir finished with 4-0-24-1. Lawrence though went off the first ball of Mullaney’s last over caught behind reverse sweeping. Napier the so-called wonder slogger lasted two balls before top edging Mullaney as he fell to a catch at fine leg by Tahir. Napier is his last ever baseball game went out to the sound of ducks quacking in his ears. A sad end for him. Mullaney’s figures were ruined slightly as Walter hit him for a straight six and a two as he finished with remarkable figures of 4-0-16-2. Gurney then got two wickets in four balls as Walter was caught behind and then Foster was caught at long on by Wessels to whoops of delight from the 13,500 crowd. It was clear from the post-match interviews that Notts could scarcely believe what had happened. The crucial turning points being Ryder’s fluke dismissal and then Browne having played eight dot balls out of 11 to heap enormous pressure on the Essex batsman and they cracked. Essex 123 all out with eight balls unused losing by 39 runs. They lost all ten for 58 runs off 69 balls. Rabbits in headlights probably being the best description as Patel, Tahir and Mullaney mesmerised them.

Earlier, Notts lost their way having hit 58 in the power play. Notts lost the toss and were inserted as Ball came in for Luke Fletcher. Getting only 11 off the first two overs bowled by Lawrence and veteran Masters. Lumb hit Paul Walter for four but then edged him to Ryder at first slip to depart for an eight ball 11. Smith though took a liking to the medium pacer hitting him for two fours. Then Masters went for 15 as Wessels hit him for two fours and Smith hit him for the only six of the innings. Walter got hit for three successive fours by Wessels in over six. 

Bopara was changing his bowlers every over, Zaidi bowled over eight and went for just four singles but Bopara gaffed big time as he never returned. Meanwhile the Essex team's (with an average age on par with Notts) ground fielding was woeful. Ten Doeschate who bowled superbly for 4-0-19-3 from the Radcliffe Road End had Wessels caught at backward square leg for 36 off 29 balls with five fours, 69 for two in the ninth. Smith and Patel added 41 in five overs; Bopara further blotted his captaincy copy book by unbelievably calling Walter back for his third over, this time the youngster going for 15 and finishing with 3-0-43-1. Ouch. Greg Smith was then bowled leg stump by Bopara for a 33 ball 50. Notts though lost their way scoring 52 off the remaining 38 balls of the innings Napier (4-0-20-2) proving hard to get away. Lawrence meanwhile had to go off tweaking a hamstring on the ropes in front of Larwood and Voce. Dan Christian just could not time the ball as it was not coming onto the bat as he'd liked; he was caught at deep mid wicket off ten Dosechate for a 20-ball 21. Mullaney was bowled by Napier for five and then in next over Patel was caught in the covers of ten Doeschate for a 17 ball 23. Samit had earlier been badly dropped by iron gloves Foster when on 14, ten Doeschate being the unlucky bowler. Luke Wood perished for a two ball blob caught at deep mid wicket off Napier. Notts 162 for seven, a score that looked out 15-20 under par and Essex appeared to hold all the aces, but did not read the script. MAG