Scorecard

Samit Patel took 3 wickets in five balls as Notts Outlaws continued their winning start in the Friends Provident t20 with a 26 run victory against Lancashire Lightning.

The Outlaws maintain their place at the top of the Northern section and captain David Hussey is delighted with the start to the 2010 campaign.

“This is a dream start for us but we know there are big games around the corner and we need to keep the momentum,” said Hussey, who top-scored for Notts with 44.

“Samit changed the game tonight with his bowling and I knew we had plenty of fire power at the end.  Being honest I would have liked another 10 runs on the board but we bowled and fielded exceptionally well.

“There is a great buzz in the dressing room at the moment and we must maintain these standards.”

Having lost the toss, Hussey’s men were asked to set a total for the first time in this season’s competition.

Lightning opted to open the attack with the off-spin of Kiwi Nathan McCullum but it didn’t halt Alex Hales and Ali Brown who began in their usual explosive fashion scoring 57 from the six power play overs.

Hales (35 from 23 balls), however, was run out with the score on 63 despite TV replays appearing to show Lancashire keeper, Gareth Cross, breaking the bails before the ball had hit the stumps.

The loss of Hales and the introduction of spin from both ends slowed the scoring rate.  The Outlaws added just 31 in the next four overs to leave them on 78 for 2 at the interval.

David Hussey and Matt Wood increased the tempo and added 56 for the fourth wicket before Hussey (43 from 36 balls) was caught at by Anderson at deep midwicket off the bowling of Sajid Mahmood.

Mahmood took three wickets in the final over of the innings to return career best figures of 4 for 21, restricting the Outlaws to just two runs from the over.

Lancashire Lightning were in contention until the loss of Tom Smith and McCullum in consecutive overs caused the innings to stutter, eventually reaching 131 all out from 18.5 overs.

It was Samit Patel who did the damage at the top of the order taking 3 wickets in five balls, which include the wickets of Australian International, Simon Katich, and England Lion Stephen Moore in consecutive deliveries.

However, McCullum and Smith looked to be steering the Lightning to within striking distance before Outlaws captain, Hussey, threw down the stumps to run Smith out for 43 from as many balls.

McCullum was caught brilliantly by Pattinson off Broad in the next over and the Lightning tail end had no answer to the fire power of the Outlaws attack leaving Nannes and Broad to finish in style.