On their way to securing top spot in the NatWest T20 Blast North Group with 20 points, including a record eight victories in a row, the Notts Outlaws have produced some scintillating cricket.
Amassing 1,495 runs from the ten completed matches, with 116 boundaries and 66 maximums, the Outlaws have put a number of opposition bowling attacks to the sword.
The Outlaws’ highest score, of 185-8, came in the thrilling two-wicket win over the Lancashire Lightning at Trent Bridge in early June.
Heading into the final over needing nine runs, Sam Wood smashed the second ball of Aaron Lilley’s over for a maximum before Luke Fletcher scampered through for the all-important single with two balls to spare.
Greg Smith (214 runs) and Michael Lumb (256 runs) have contributed heavily in the batting department but Dan Christian and Riki Wessels are perhaps the men that will be most feared heading into the quarter-final against the Essex Eagles.
Wessels tops the run-scoring chart with 360, including an unbeaten 35-ball 80 against the Worcestershire Rapids, with 35 fours and 15 sixes to his tally.
Christian meanwhile has struck his 304 group stage runs at a ferocious strike rate of 170.78, the highest for any batsman with 200 runs or more, and at an average of 50.66.
The pair have been able to play with freedom as a result of the 61 wickets taken by the Outlaws' bowling attack during the ten matches.
The likes of Harry Gurney, Samit Patel and Imran Tahir have regularly reduced opponents to lowly scores, with the Outlaws restricting their opponents to totals of under 130 on three occasions.
Patel’s 12 wickets have come at a miserly economy rate of 6.25 and an average of just over 20 as the all-rounder continues to prove how valuable he is in white ball cricket.
His established partner in crime during the middle overs, Steven Mullaney, has once again showcased his ability to mix up the pace and bamboozle the opposition batsmen, taking ten wickets with an economy of just under eight an over.
Harry Gurney meanwhile has embraced the mantle of leader of the attack, leading the wicket taking charts with 14, with his scalps coming every 15 balls.
At an average of 20.21 and an economy of just over eight, with the majority of Gurney’s overs coming at the beginning or end of the innings, the left armer is crucial in the Outlaws’ quest to reach Finals Day.
His career-best 4-20 in the local derby against the Derbyshire Falcons, along with a further 50 wickets in the other two competitions, suggests that the 29-year-old is in prime form heading into the latter stages of the season.
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.