A brilliant innings of 92 not out from Birmingham Bears’ Sam Hain thwarted Notts Outlaws on the opening night of this season’s NatWest T20 Blast competition.
The 20-year old batting starlet, playing his first game in the shortest format, helped his side chase down their target of 180 to win the match by six wickets, with two balls remaining.
Notts had earlier scored 179 for seven, having been put in, with Riki Wessels top scoring, with 52.
Despite his obvious disappointment, Wessels praised the successful run chase.
“Sometimes you have to hold your hands up and say, “Well played” because that was a brilliant innings from Sam Hain”, said the opener.
“We thought 180 was a challenging target, I found it quite difficult out there to bat. It was a new wicket and the ball stuck in the wicket a touch and I thought we’d got a really good score but unfortunately the rain and the dew spiced the wicket up beautifully for batting.
“We’ve only really had one full day of white ball practice, with all the championship cricket recently, so there’s plenty of time to iron out the things we didn’t get right tonight.”
The Outlaws’ first line-up of the season showed only two changes from the side that played in the championship match between the two sides, a contest that had finished only 48 hours earlier.
Dan Christian returned, skippering the side for the first time, and Sam Wood was selected for his first outing of the season. Jackson Bird and Brendan Taylor were the two players not involved.
To a crescendo of loud music and crowd noise, with flames firing up into the gloomy skies, the players made their entrance for the start of this year’s short format extravaganza.
Michael Lumb and Riki Wessels put on 18 for the first wicket but then Chris Wright made a double strike in the fourth over.
Lumb (8) was first to go, lofting to deep midwicket, where catcher Jeetan Patel lost his footing but still managed to hang on to the offering.
Two balls later Sam Wood (0) departed, hoisting the same bowler to Sam Hain, running back at mid on. Wessels had crossed whilst the ball was in the air and hit the next two balls for six and four to ease the pressure.
A further slip provided evidence that the outfield was a little juicy after earlier drizzle. Greg Smith, on 11, sliced Chris Woakes down to third man but Wright’s feet went from under him and the ball came out of his hands and trickled over the ropes.
Wessels began to hit the ball harder and harder but it was the timing of his extra cover loft off Jeetan Patel that enabled the ball to sail high into the Smith Cooper Stand.
Smith, too, visibly grew in confidence and hit Recordo Gordon over the ropes, as 17 came from the 12th over. Respite came for the Bears as Hain took his second catch to remove Smith for 43, with Jeetan Patel picking up the wicket after a punishing stand of 83 in 8.3 overs.
A push into the off side took Wessels to his 50, the landmark arriving from just 37 balls, with four fours and two maximums.
Jeetan Patel then spun Birmingham ahead of the game by picking up two crucial wickets. Wessels was bowled, attempting a reverse and then it was time for some payback.
On Wednesday Samit Patel hit Jeetan Patel for seven maximums in his innings of 124. This time he hit his first ball for four but then holed out off the next delivery.
Christian carried his six-hitting form from the Big Bash into his first game back in this country by clubbing Gordon for three in the same over, leaving the bowler to take his sweater, whilst nursing figures of 4-0-58-0.
The Outlaws captain eventually fell for 34, made from just 19 balls, hitting Oliver Hannon-Dalby down the throat of deep midwicket.
Steven Mullaney also joined the six-hitters, before being bowled by Hannon-Dalby for 16, leaving Chris Read (11 not out) and Brett Hutton (4 not out) to scamper Notts up to a challenging total.
If the Bears were hoping for a flying start, they didn’t get it as Harry Gurney bowled a maiden to Ian Bell, then Luke Fletcher only went for a single in his opening over, but Hain relieved some of the early pressure by slicing Hutton over the third man ropes.
Hutton, playing in the first T20 match of his career, had a notable maiden scalp, when Bell (11) chipped into the hands of Patel at cover.
Hain and William Porterfield added 47 for the second wicket but the stand was broken, with some light drizzle falling. Porterfield, who had lifted Mullaney over the ropes, was then bowled by Patel for 26.
Shortly after reaching his 32-ball half century Hain almost fell on the midwicket fence; with the diving Hutton unable to hold on to a difficult diving chance.
Laurie Evans (10) was then given out lbw in Wood’s first over, leaving the score on 115 for three, exactly matching the required D/L score.
Luke Ronchi supplied 22 from only ten balls to swing the match further from Notts’ grasp, with the equation then coming down to 17 needed from two overs and five from the last.
Chris Woakes hit the winning runs, lifting Fletcher over the ropes at extra cover, leaving most of the 10,423 crowd feeling disappointed at the outcome.
Notts Outlaws NatWest T20 Blast Fixtures & Ticket Information
Vs. Lancashire Lightning – Saturday 4 June 2.30pm BUY TICKETS
Vs. Derbyshire Falcons – Friday 10 June 7.15pm BUY TICKETS
Vs. Durham Jets – Friday 1 July 6.30pm BUY TICKETS
Vs. Worcestershire Rapids – Saturday 9 July 2.30pm BUY TICKETS
Vs. Yorkshire Vikings – Friday 15 July 6.30pm BUY TICKETS
Vs. Leicestershire Foxes – Friday 29 July 6.30pm BUY TICKETS
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