Birmingham Bears NWT20 Blast at Trent Bridge

PATEL TAMES BEARS

On a cool dank night a crowd of 10900 saw Notts take another giant stride towards T20 quarter final qualification with a five wicket victory over visitors Warwickshire with 11 balls unused. Unlike the previous games at Trent Bridge the boundaries were pushed out more meaning the game was less of a slogfest despite another belting pitch. Jake Ball followed his good performance at Derby with career best T20 figures of 3 for 27, Samit Patel despite being more expensive with the ball played the perfect innings with 77 off 58 balls with ten fours and a six. He was named man of the match. Warwickshire paid the price for losing half their wickets in their first nine overs due to the wrecking Jake Ball. Despite a fine innings from Sam Hain their total was slightly under par.

An unchanged Notts won the toss and inserted The Bears. Samit Patel bowled over one from the Pavilion End conceding six including a boundary for Ian Bell. Six also came off the next over bowled by Harry Gurney including four leg byes and an inadvertent stop by square leg umpire Jeff Evans. Off Ball's first delivery Sibley (2) drove straight to Patel at mid on, 12 for one. Six came off Ball's first over. After conceding a boundary off his second ball Dan Christian removed Bell for 11 via a fine leg side catch by Moores, 22 for two; nine off the over. Gurney returned from the Pavilion End, eleven off the over including boundaries for Hain and Hose. Ball bowled the last over of the power play. Hose (11) was extinguished trying to tip Ball behind the wicket; he got a top edge and was caught by Moores, 38 for three. Jake was bowling a great over and off his fifth ball got one to move in and remove Elliott's middle stump, the Kiwi international gone for a three ball duck. De Grandhomme got the solitary run off the over with a single off sixth ball. Warwick 39 for four after 6 overs. Sodhi conceded four singles in over seven. Ball was kept on for the third over as Hain hit for two fours and a six, 59 for four off eight overs. De Grandhomme tucked into Sodhi hitting two consecutive fours but The Big Man holed out to Hales on the cover boundary for 11, 67 for five. Samit bowled over ten. Bears 75 for five at half way mark. A mediocre over from Sodhi including two full tosses went for 11. Thomason launched Patel for huge six over long off. Warwick fighting back on 98 for five after 12. Ten came off Mullaney's first over. Hain got to 50 off 32 balls with a single off Patel then the big hitting Thomason hit Patel for another six. Patel four overs 0 for 33, 118 for five off 14 overs. Mullaney then went for nine. Then the return of Sodhi. Thomason hit Sodhi for a six but then played on to his leg stump, Thomason 42 off 23 balls with two fours and three sixes giving the innings vital impetus, 136 for six. Two wides in the over as Sodhi finished with two for 39. Warwick 140 for six off 16 overs. Christian came on for his second over and Sam Hain hit a switch hit for four and then hit Christian into The Fridge. He tried to go for a leg side six but Taylor on the boundary kept him down to a single. Alex Mellor (2) perished to catch at third man by Gurney as Christian acquired his second wicket, 152 for seven. Eleven came off Gurney's third over. Ball beat his career best figures with three for 27. Warwickshire 168 for 7 off 19. Gurney bowled the last over. A quite awful caught and bowled drop saved Jeetan Patel; he then got hit for a huge six into The Fridge. Warwickshire 180 for seven at the close. Gurney 0 for 34. A great comeback from 67 for five, Hain 82 not out off 50 balls (8 x 4, 3 x 6); his second highest T20, he scored higher in the corresponding match last season. The Bears got 105 off the last 10 overs.

Wessels hit the first ball of the innings for four through mid wicket off Stone. Wessels then got a single. Hales fell first ball caught at mid on by Ian Bell, five for one. Moores slashed a four, Notts 11 for one after the first over. Jeetan Patel then bowled the second over from the Radcliffe Road End but went for 12 including a six over mid wicket by the powerful Tom Moores. Wessels then did the same off the next ball off Oli Stone. Then he hit a four at long on; the ball bouncing just short of the ropes. A single followed then Moores (11) chipped Stone to cover where substitute Porterfield caught the catch, 35 for two. Wessels picked up his second six over square leg off Patel but then departed next ball caught by Hain at long on, Wessels 28 off 11 balls which also included three fours. Notts 43 for three off 3.3 overs. The fifth over bowled by Stone went for nine, 54 for three. Hannon-Dalby conceded six as Notts completed the power play on 60 for three. Sibley came on and hit for four through extra cover by Taylor; eleven off the over plus a leg bye. Hannon-Dalby then conceded five, Notts 77 for three off eight overs. Elliott went for nine including a paddled four by Taylor. Rain had been falling for a couple of overs and got briefly heavier and the umpires Evans and Saggers started taking the players off but then returned before they could get to the Pavilion. Notts 89 for three off 9.2. Samit hit Jeetan Patel for four over mid wicket as Notts needed 87 off the last 10 overs. Patel repeated the shot off Thomason who then bowled a no ball beamer. The free hit was a wide. A single followed. Then five wides. Twenty off the over. The youngster, who had batted so well, did not bowl again. Nine came off de Grandhomme's opening over. Stone returned. Samit was batting beautifully another four creamed over mid wicket. Notts 129 for three off 13. Stone 2 for 38 off his four over allocation. Samit hit his namesake over mid wicket for six, 50 off 33 balls. Jeetan Patel 1 for 39 off four; as expensive as the much maligned Sodhi. Hannon-Dalby bowled two dot balls then Patel ran a single. Taylor then top edged the former Tyke to Patel at short third man. Taylor 36 off 33 balls with four boundaries, 139 for four. The fourth wicket stand between Taylor and Patel had raised 96 in 11 overs. Three off the over. Notts needed 40 off the last five overs. Elliott went for seven off over 16. Hannon-Dalby was bowling well as Christian was removed caught at deep square leg by Hain for three, 148 for five. The batsman crossed and Patel hit the next ball for a leg side four. A wide followed. Then a four for Patel through third man. Three singles followed. Hannon-Dalby 2 for 26. The bean pole by far the most economical bowler for The Bears; head and shoulders above the rest. Twenty one now needed off three overs. Patel was keeping his cool a straight driven four off Elliott was followed by a single. Dot ball, then a six by Mullaney over long off, followed by a straight driven four. Then a four over long on. Notts now needed two off two overs. Patel hit the first ball of the next over from de Grandhomme for four through the covers. Patel 77 not out and Mullaney 15 not out off five balls. The crowd once again went home happy. Notts top the Northern Section with 16 points with two games to play. MAG
This was the winning team last time out, against Jets, so you wouldn't expect it to change.

Alex Hales
Riki Wessels
Tom Moores
Samit Patel
Dan Christian
Steven Mullaney
Brendan Taylor
Billy Root
Ish Sodhi
Jake Ball
Harry Gurney