Northamptonshire Steelbacks Vitality T20 Blast at Wantage Road Win

 

A RED-HOT JOE CLARKE 136 PUTS GAME BEYOND NORTHANTS (JUST)

with a little help from Matthew Carter's economical overs 

Notts won their first T20 game at the third attempt at a sun-drenched Northampton yesterday. Man of the match Joe Clarke hit Notts highest ever individual score for with 136 off 65 balls (11x6, 6x4) smashing the Northamptonshire bowlers all over Wantage Road as Notts closed on 214 for seven off 20 overs. Clarke and Trego (24) added 82 in eight overs for the second wicket, after Hales fell for 14. Their partnership featured some excellent running between the wickets. Such was the dominance of Clarke's batting Hales’ score was the third highest of the innings. Indeed Clarke score at 209 runs per hundred balls (11 sixes), whereas the rest of the Notts batting could muster a 117 scoring rate (2 sixes). Clarke was crucially dropped on 29 by Northants skipper Josh Cobb off Brandon Glover, who was later ordered out of the attack for bowling two beamers. In Northants reply Carter bowled excellently only going for 15 in his 4-over spell and picking up the wicket of opener Richard Levi. Northants were 43 for three in the sixth over, but Cobb went on the attack to race to 50 off 22 balls and added 104 in 9.4 overs with Rob Keogh. Cobb though picked up an upper leg injury which affected his mobility and he had to bat with runner and as a result only added a further 12 off 10 balls before holing out to Fletcher as the home side lost crucial momentum;Matt Carter crucially only went for three in over number 14.

Unwanted record

Notts fielded well, particularly in the deep. Their bowling was again uneven with Ball in particular and Patel proving expensive. Ball who played his first Notts senior game since his back injury in April came in for Paterson and picked up three wickets including two boundary catches but conceded 58 in his four overs, the most by a Notts bowler in the competition history; Harry Gurney conceding 57 in his 4 over spell against Worcester at TB in 2017. Harrison(3-0-31-1) kept his calm once more and fielded well, Fletcher (4-0-41-2) also had a good day with the ball and another very good batting surface.

Notts won the toss in front of a crowd limited of 1,000 which was spread throughout the venue.The away following could be counted on the fingers of two hands; bar takings must have been very small as the drunkards stayed away and another feature was a lack of youngsters in attendance. The draconian and over the top measures ordered by the Government are killing the first-class counties coffers.

Ben Duckett did not travel to the game due to Covid precaution as Lyndon James was given his T20 debut; surprising not given a bowl during the slog-fest that unfolded. The start time was 16:15 as Northants showed the England v Croatia match on a big screen. The contest took 3 hours ten minutes to complete.

Clarke hit a lofted cover four off Graeme White (Pavilion End), seven off the first over.Clarke hit Sanderson for a straight six, eight off the second over. Four came off the third over bowled by Wayne Parnell. Brandon Glover, the South African born Dutch international, was hit for offside six and four by Hales off his first two balls, but next ball Hales (14) was caught at mid off by Cobb, 31 for one. Clarke hit his next ball to the mid wicket ropes, 16 off the over. Trego hit Tom Taylor for a four through mid wicket, seven off the over. Trego repeated the shot off Sanderson, 53 for one off 6 overs.

Dropped

Clarke on 29 was dropped at mid off by Cobb off Glover; a match defining error. Clarke rubbed salt in the wounds by hitting a six through mid wicket, 10 off the over. White conceded seven off the eighth over. Taylor was hit for a fine leg four by Trego who then got hit on the helmet by the former Derby and Leicester man; cue a lengthy stoppage. Clarke hit the sixth ball for a massive leg side six, 13 off the over. Clarke reached 50 off 28 balls with a mid wicket boundary off Cobb.Clarke then hit another leg side, 98 for one off 10 overs.

Eight runs including a leg bye came off the 11th over bowled by left armer Parnell. A short ball by White was hoisted over the long on ropes by Clarke. Trego (24) perished caught on the mid wicket ropes by Vasconcelos off White,113 for three; nine off the over. Moores pulled the brisk Glover for six, 128 for 3 off 13 overs.. Clarke hit White for a straight six and then two balls later for a square leg six as the one man wrecking show continued. Moores (8)holed at deep wicket by Sanderson off White, 141 for three. White (4-0-37-2) conceded 14 off his last over.

Beaming

A straight six for Clarke took him to 100 off 49 balls (4x4, 8x6), cue the beating of his chest and a kiss to his helmet. Clarke hit three successive sixes off Sanderson two straight and one over mid wicket, 175 for three off 16 overs.Clarke straight drove Parnell for four. Mullaney hit a four through third man.After two dot balls, Mullaney was yorked by Parnell and bowled for 7, 184 for four off 17 overs. Patel straight drove a free hit from the expensive Glover to the ropes; Glover (3.2-0-51-1) was ordered out the attack by the umpires for bowling two beamers the last one of which Clarke was caught at long leg, Sanderson (3.4-0-43-0) completed the over. A bye took Notts to 200 off 18overs. Clarke, on the spin, got a four above the keepers head. Patel then got a four off Parnell. Patel (11) was caught and bowled by Parnell(4-0-30-2) diving forward 209 for 5 off 18.5 overs. James (1) was caught by Vasconcelos on the mid wicket boundary off Taylor, 210 for six. Clarke (136) wascaught at long off by Zaib, 212 for seven with three balls remaining. Just four came off the last over bowled by Taylor (4-0-36-2). Notts 214 for seven off 20 overs.

Ball boundaries

Levi hit the second ball from Patel (Pavilion End) to the backward point ropes, seven off the opening over. Levi (6) was caught at long on by Hales off Carter, 7 for one. Three off Carter's first over. Rossington hit a four through fine leg off Ball. Next ball went for six over long off. The third delivery went for six over square leg, 18 off the over. Carter conceded three and a leg bye off the fourth over. Vasconcelos hit a square leg six off Fletcher then straight drove a boundary. A catch low at mid wicket by Carter off Fletcher saw Vasconcelos depart for 12, 42 for two off five overs. A catch at mid off by substitute Dane Paterson saw the end of Rossington (22) who miscued a shot off Ball, 43 for three. Cobb hit Ball for successive boundaries and then a straight six, 57 for three at the end of the power play; 4 runs ahead of Notts but two more wickets lost.

Dropped

Three came off the seventh over bowled by Patel. Cobb hit Mullaney for a mid wicket boundary, eight off the over. Cobb hit Patel for an extra cover four. Cobb was dropped on 26 by Patel off his own bowling. Keogh then found the extra cover ropes off Patel and then a four through backward point, 15 off the over. Harrison conceded seven off the tenth over, 90 for three off 10 overs.

Cobb lamed

Cobb hit the returning Fletcher for six over mid wicket. 12 off the over. Cobb hit a boundary through long on over Harrison, eight off the over. Cobb got to his half ton off 22 balls with a six over wide long on. Three balls later he straight drove Patel (4-0-43-0) to the boundary. Keogh then hit a leg side boundary, 18 off the over. There was a stoppage while Cobb was treated for looked like a hamstring tweak, Vasconcelos was called as a runner. Carter conceded three singles off the 14th over to ramped up the pressure on home side. Keogh hit consecutive straight sixes off Harrison but fell next ball caught on the wide long on ropes by Trego, 147 for 4 off 15 overs. Keogh out for 45 off 31 balls.Carter (4-0-15-1) conceded six off his last over. Cobb (62 off 32 balls) clearly affected by his injury was caught on the mid wicket ropes by Harrison off Fletcher. Four off the over. Parnell hit Ball for a straight four, then a four through backward point off a no ball. Paterson got another sub catch as Parnell (14) holed out to him at long on off Ball, 169 for 6. Fifteen off the Ball over including a bye. Zaib hit Fletcher (4 0 41 2) over extra cover for six and then four through the same area, 188 for six off 19 overs. Twelve came off the 20th over as Ball hit for a straight six by Zaib off the delivery of the contest. Ball picking his third scalp as Taylor found James(6) on the deep mid wicket ropes. Northants 200 for 7, as Notts won by 14 runs. Next stop, Chester-le-Street tomorrow. MAG

Those viewing from home

Initially no streaming then for the first 8 overs it was like streaming c2019 - one camera positioned in the stand about chest height to the people walking in front of it, who did so all of the time. After that they got their act together (Northants CCC) and coverage improved to just below average of what is now expected up and down the country.

Team News - Outlaws won the toss and will bat

No Ben Duckett or Dane Paterson, Ben Duckett in covid isolation 

Alex Hales

Joe Clarke

Peter Trego

Tommy Moores

Steven Mullaney

Samit Patel

Lyndon James

Luke Fletcher

Matt Carter

Calvin Harrison

Jake Ball

Secret Squirrel's XIV

Sol Budinger
Alex Hales
Joe Clarke
Ben Duckett
Steven Mullaney
Samit Patel
Peter Trego
Lyndon James
Tom Moores
Calvin Harrison
Matt Carter
Luke Fletcher
Dane Paterson
Jake Ball

No LPW playing against the NPL XI at Caythorpe today.

Tickets are available to Notts fans for this fixture (Saturday).

The current eleven have failed to delivery in two contrasting fashions so far. Will this initiate change?

I really doubt it, the games are coming too thick and fast for Peter Moores who needs a slow process to bring in changes. Just give him a season or two rather than a day or two.

Calls are coming for an overseas sticking plaster, but where is one going to appear from at such short notice? It would have to be someone in the country already playing club cricket, Boris quarantine regulations and all that faff. 

The writing is on the wall for Samit Patel but has he had his eyes tested recently, perhaps he needs a new prescription for reading glasses? However, Samit does have history of doing OK at Wantage Road when things are looking down for him.

Expect the same squad with Jake Ball coming into the eleven for Fletcher or Paterson unless there's been a convenient injury been picked-up elsewhere.

James and Budinger will continue drinks duties. I hope I'm way off the mark and PM has had a double espresso this morning.