A brilliant half century from Samit Patel, together with a calm head from Chris Read, saw Notts Outlaws to a thrilling three wicket victory over Yorkshire Vikings - one that all but booked a place in the quarter finals of the NatWest T20 Blast.
Patel scored 58, making his runs from 47 balls, with two fours and two sixes. It was his 19th score of 50 or more in the domestic T20 competition.
Set to score 161, the home side recovered from a nervy start to reach their target in 19.4 overs, with Chris Read finishing on 35 not out.
Patel, who brought up his 50 from 40 balls, and Read – had brought the equation down to 42 needed from four overs and 14 from the last two.
Although Liam Plunkett dismissed Patel just short of the finishing line, Read ensured the hopes of the home supporters in a crowd of 12,595 weren’t disappointed, by crashing the winning boundary through the covers.
Yorkshire made 160 for seven, with Travis Head top-scoring on debut, with 40. Harry Gurney took three for 16 for the home side, with Luke Fletcher bowling his four overs for only 20.
Alex Lees won the toss and elected to bat first, although the home skipper has chosen to chase in recent matches anyway. Notts made one change from the side that played in recent successes over Northants and Worcestershire, with Fletcher replacing England’s Jake Ball.
Yorkshire gave a debut to their new Australian signing, Head, but were handicapped by an illness to David Willey, which prevented him from playing.
Samit Patel bowled the opening over and was hit for a four and a six by Adam Lyth as the Vikings helped themselves to a dozen runs.
The second over was bowled by Gurney and after four dot balls he fired one through Lees’ (1) defences to flatten a couple of stumps, giving the Outlaws a priceless early wicket.
Gurney and Luke Fletcher kept a tight control on the scoring but Lyth freed his arms to lift Christian for a straight six at the start of the sixth over, which went for 23 runs and ended with the visitors on 54 for one.
Lyth was threatening to hurt the Outlaws but perished to Patel’s slow left arm spin, clubbing into the hands of Imran Tahir on the cover boundary. The former England opener had raced to 39 from 21 balls, with six fours and his two maximums.
Tahir bowled an expensive first over, leaking 19 runs as Head got into his stride. The Adelaide Strikers’ batsman hit the first delivery – a waist-high no ball - for six and cleared the ropes three more times in quick succession as Patel and Mullaney (twice) went the distance.
On 30 the left-hander was spilled on the long on fence by a sliding Patel, off Mullaney. He added 10 more but then skied the returning Gurney and was comfortably taken in the deep by Riki Wessels. Head’s 40 had come from just 25 balls, with one four and four sixes.
Kane Williamson (39) had helped the Aussie add 67 from 42 deliveries but quickly followed him back to the pavilion, hitting Mullaney to Tahir at short fine leg.
Plunkett clubbed a big six off Tahir but failed to add to it as he was comfortably stumped by Read a couple of balls later.
Gurney bowled Tim Bresnan (17) to get his third wicket and Will Rhodes (8) was run out by a fine return from Greg Smith from the final ball of the innings.
When Notts began their chase, Michael Lumb (8) hit Bresnan away for a six in the first over but was then bowled by Azeem Rafiq in the next. A poor start became worse as Wessels (2) helped Steven Patterson’s first delivery into Bresnan’s hands at short fine leg.
Christian plundered a huge six off the seventh ball of Plunkett’s first over after a no ball had been called for too many fielders outside the circle.
The Notts skipper failed to take advantage of his fine start, falling for just eight after lifting Patterson out to Lyth on the leg side boundary.
Smith and Patel consolidated and moved the total on to 82 for three after 10 overs. They advanced their stand to 51 from 40 balls when a fine running catch by Adil Rashid at short third man ended Smith’s stay on 32.
Brendan Taylor (1) was given out lbw against Rashid and Mullaney (1) was run out by a direct hit from Patterson.
Home nerves were then calmed by Patel and Read, who guided Notts to the brink of victory before being parted but it was only seconds later that the Outlaws supporters could begin to celebrate.
The win keeps the Outlaws on top of the North Group table, with 16 points and with two matches remaining in which to secure home advantage in the last eight.
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