A stunning century from Dan Christian enabled Notts Outlaws to bounce back to winning ways in the most emphatic manner, with a 58-run victory over Northamptonshire Steelbacks in their Vitality Blast encounter at Wantage Road.

Christian scored an unbeaten 113, the highest score made by an Outlaws batsman in the 16 years of the domestic T20 competition.

The Australian only arrived at the crease in the 10th over of the innings, yet blazed his runs from only 40 balls faced, hitting seven fours and nine booming sixes.

Notts made 219 for six, with Samit Patel compiling 35 and sharing in a stand of 97 with his captain.

Ben Duckett made 88 for the home side but he received little by way of support and the Steelbacks closed on 161 all out, with 15 balls remaining.

Duckett’s runs came from only 45 balls, with nine fours and four sixes.

Luke Fletcher was the pick of the Outlaws’ attack, with figures of three for 21, with Harry Gurney backing him up with three for 30.

Notts made two changes from their first match, with Will Fraine and Paul Coughlin coming into the side, replacing the injured Chris Nash and Jake Ball,  away making his England T20 debut against India.

Both batsman Fraine and all-rounder Coughlin, playing purely as a batter after his long injury lay-off, were making their first appearances in the format for the Outlaws.

The defending champions, who had come into the contest on the back of Wednesday’s home loss to Birmingham, lost three wickets in the opening powerplay, after being asked to bat first.

Steven Mullaney, who had opened the innings, made 21, a score matched by Billy Root, who fell with the score on 81 for four.

Christian didn’t take long to find his range, hitting three sixes in a row in the 14th over, off Graeme White.

The 35-year old powered to his 50 from only 21 balls but then accelerated to his second T20 hundred from only 37 balls; the second quickest in our domestic competition and the seventh quickest worldwide.

In search of 220 the hosts were given an injection of runs in the third over when Duckett hit Patel for 30 in one over that went for three consecutive sixes and then another three fours.

Fletcher’s first ball of the night, at the start of the fourth over, had Richard Levi nicking down the legside to Moores.

Wickets continued to tumble and by the halfway stage Northants were 98 for four, having lost Alex Wakeley to a fine bit of fielding from Fraine, although the running left a lot to be desired.

Steven Crook made 18 – but that was the second highest knock and the contest was effectively put to bed when Fletcher removed Kleinveldt – taken by the second of two good catches by Coughlin - and White in the same over.

Ish Sodhi, playing his 100th T20 match, dismissed Seekkuge Prasanna and it was left to Gurney to knock over Nathan Buck’s stumps to seal Notts’ largest victory away from Trent Bridge in T20 cricket.

The Outlaws are next in action on Sunday afternoon, when they face Leicestershire Foxes at the Fischer County Ground.

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Notts Outlaws are next in action at Trent Bridge on Tuesday 17 July against Durham Jets. Be part of it - secure your seats now...