Northamptonshire Steelbacks Vitality T20 Blast at Trent Bridge No Result

 

PERSONAL MILESTONES REACHED BUT TO NO AVAIL AS RAIN KILLS CONTEST

6,000 T20 Runs for Samit Patel and 3,000 for Joe Clarke

On a dreary night, Notts and Northants shared the spoils as rain proved the only winner.

A localised torrential downpour at 1440 flooded the ground and after a large moping up operation, play started 30 minutes late at 1900, with the game remaining a 20 over affair.

Northants won an important toss and inserted an unchanged home line-up. Sanderson (Pavilion End) opened up and went for four including a no ball. Clarke (3) pulled a short ball from Kelly straight down the throat of Keogh on the square leg ropes, 7 for 1 after 2 overs. Hales hit Taylor for successive sixes over deep backward square leg and extra cover, 20 for 1 after 3 overs. Hales (15) was caught behind off Sanderson, 20 for two. Duckett hit Kelly for four through backward cover and Patel hit him through square leg. Duckett (7) lofted Kelly to Heldreich at fine leg, 34 for 3 after 5 overs. Taylor conceded 4 off the 6th over, 38 for 3 at the end of the powerplay. Northants were in the ascendancy.

Moores swept White for six over square leg, nine off the 7th over. Moores hit slow-left arm wrist spinner Heldreich through backward cover two times in the eighth over, 12 off the over. Patel lofted Kelly for four and six both over square leg, 13 off the over. Moores holed out to Zaib on the square leg ropes off Heldreich, 75 for 4 in the 10th over. Mullaney joined Patel and added 53 in 6.3 overs. Patel hit White to the cover boundary but there were 5 dot balls in the 11th over. Dark clouds were gradually approaching the south and the light was getting darker by the minute. Five came off the 12th over bowled by Heldreich. Patel hit White for six over mid-wicket and four through cover, 12 off the over. He looked in fine form. Six came off the 14th over bowled by Heldreich. Patel hit Taylor for four successive offside fours in the 15th over reaching 50 off 36 balls, 18 off the over. Mullaney hit four off Sanderson, eight off the 16th over. Patel (63 off 44 balls, 8x4, 2x6) hit a full toss from Kelly straight to Zaib at deep mid-wicket , 128 for 5. Patel had played very much a lone hand in what was a below par effort from Notts. Three balls later, Mullaney (15) was caught behind off a legside delivery from Kelly, 129 for 6, one run off the 17th over. The Australian right arm seamer finished with 4-0-29-4. Christian swept White for six but heavy rain stopped at 2013 with Notts 140 for 6 off 18 overs. Despite the rain having all but stopped, play was called off at 2040 with the outfield saturated.

The crowd numbered around 2,000, the idea of having to book your seat, seems ever more bizarre by each passing game. Lancashire are due to arrive tonight, although once again the forecast is not particularly good. MAG

A perfect storm for a slump in ticket sales.

• Moving the fixture from a Sunday afternoon to a Monday evening (for a non-cricketing reason)
• Pre-booking requirements, as previously mentioned on other posts
• A price hike for on the day booking,  when a full game might not be possible because of the forecast weather on Monday. Weather wouldn't have been an issue if the game had taken place on the sunny Sunday.

Secret Squirrel has kept the same squad of fifteen for match #2 after Friday's win. 

Alex Hales
Ben Slater
Sol Budinger
Joe Clarke
Ben Duckett
Samit Patel
Tom Moores X
Steven Mullaney
Dan Christian C
James Pattinson
Calvin Harrison
Matt Carter
Luke Fletcher
Jake Ball
Dane Paterson

With all other teams tightening-up their games, improving match on match, Outlaws are playing catch-up having only played the one game, where some key players were a bit rusty, so far. It will be interesting if the final eleven remains the same also.

Steelbacks have won one and lost one so far. Chris Lynn was the star turn last time out.