The Essex Eagles, Notts Outlaws’ opponents in Monday’s NatWest T20 Blast Quarter-Final, qualified from the South group in fourth position, having won seven and lost six of their 13 completed matches.
The Eagles made it through to the last eight by the skin of their teeth, snatching a place in the draw with victory over Middlesex at Lord’s, with Pakistan born all-rounder Ashar Zaidi playing the match-winning hand, followed by a rain abandonment against Glamorgan.
Back in mid-May, Essex’s season got off to a losing start on home soil against Surrey despite New Zealand born fast bowler Matt Quinn launching his white ball career in the UK with a four-wicket haul.
A straightforward romp to victory over Glamorgan in Cardiff followed, only for the good work to be undone by Chris Gayle and Somerset in a seven-wicket reverse two days later.
Coming unstuck at home to Middlesex did nothing to improve Essex’s early tournament credentials, although key all-rounder Ryan ten Doeschate was beginning to find form with the bat, scoring 58 not out off 43 balls in a 17-run defeat.
Qualification hopes appeared to his crisis point with a third successive disappointment on their home turf, this time against high-flying Gloucestershire as Michael Klinger teed off at the top of the order, hitting four sixes in his 49 ball 78 that helped secure an eight wicket win.
One victory and four defeats from five matches was hardly qualification form. However, a visit from Hampshire brought some respite as Graham Napier, in his final season before retirement, took 3-31 and Zaidi posted a fifty to secure a comfortable five-wicket triumph, despite the presence of Darren Sammy and Shahid Afridi in the opposition.
Silencing a boisterous crowd at the Kia Oval, with Napier helping himself to three more scalps in an eight-wicket thrashing, became a new tournament highlight in round seven.
And the Eagles were blazed right back into quarter-final contention by Ravinder Bopara’s remarkable 81, and another half-century for Zaidi, in a 50 run victory with 204-3 on the board against Kent Spitfires.
Home grown seamer Paul Walter took 3-26 but has failed to take a wicket in any of his other five T20 appearances.
Victory at the Ageas Bowl over Hampshire was a far less straightforward affair; Zaidi top scoring with 47 before a disciplined all-round performance with the ball stalled the home side three runs short of their 154 run victory target.
The Eagles, again, couldn’t live with Klinger as the Australian’s 95 inspired the South Group table-toppers to an eight wicket win at Bristol.
Bopara’s men leaked 200 plus for a second match in succession next time out against Sussex, resulting in another home defeat, this time by 24 runs.
Fifties from the accomplished middle-order duo of Tom Westley and Bopara ensured that the Eagles remained in the qualification hunt with a 33-run win over Kent at Canterbury.
The decisive win over Middlesex at the home of cricket came courtesy of Zaidi’s career-best 59 not out.
When rain sheltered the Eagles from a difficult chase of 185 to beat Glamorgan in the final round of matches, a place in the last eight was secure.
Notts Outlaws will face the Essex Eagles in the quarter-final of the NatWest T20 Blast, with a 6.30pm start on Monday 8 August at Trent Bridge, and tickets are on sale now.