Alex Hales came of age with a boundary-laden 99 to lead England to victory over the West Indies in the NatWest International T20 at Trent Bridge.
Willed towards his hundred by a passionate sell-out crowd, Hales misjudged Ravi Rampaul's pace to succumb one run short of the milestone.
"I'm happy with the way I played today but there's still a lot of cricket this season for Notts and hopefully I can keep myself in the frame for the next few games," said Hales.
"It's very mixed emotions to have not made the hundred. Ravi Rampaul bowled the ball exactly where I wanted him to and I missed it.
"I'm very happy with the 99 though and for England to get the win."
On the day that England's T20 captain and Hales's Nottinghamshire teammate Stuart Broad celebrated his 26th birthday, it was fitting that the home ground contingent should play crucial roles in England's victory.
Samit Patel and Graeme Swann took the Nottinghamshire representation to four with eyes inevitably cast to Hales's potential to join his teammates in longer formats of the international game.
England secured victory by seven wickets with two balls to spare after restricting the West Indies to 172/4.
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