An unbeaten fifty from Greg Smith secured a home quarter-final for the Notts Outlaws as they ran out six-wicket victors over the Birmingham Bears at Edgbaston.
The Outlaws extended their winning sequence to a record-equalling seventh straight match with a six-wicket win on the ground that will stage next month’s Finals Day.
Set to score a challenging 173 for the victory, Notts were guided home by an undefeated 51 from Smith and solid support from the rest of the top four batsmen.
Put in, the Bears made 172 for two from their 20 overs with Ian Bell and William Porterfield doing the principle damage.
Bell, who could have been dismissed on a couple of occasions, made 80 from 55 balls, with three fours and five sixes. His partnership with the Irish international was worth 114 runs, with Porterfield remaining unbeaten on 61 from 44 balls.
Notts included Jake Ball in place of Luke Fletcher and the England cap was soon in action as the visitors started brightly with the ball.
It took until the fourth over before a boundary was scored and in the same over Sam Hain survived a run out attempt after Ball kicked down the stumps.
Ian Bell was fortunate to survive a miscue into the off side that landed at extra cover, right between Brendan Taylor and Imran Tahir. Bell pulled the unfortunate bowler, Harry Gurney, for six to rub salt into the wound.
Ball dismissed Hain lbw for 19, leaving the Bears on 66 for one at halfway. The second wicket pair began to throw the bat with increasing frenzy and Bell reached his 50 from 42 balls.
On 54 he pulled Gurney to deep midwicket but earned a reprieve as the sliding Greg Smith couldn’t quite pull off what would have been a wonderful take.
Bell eventually mistimed Gurney into Steven Mullaney’s hands at mid-on. Porterfield kicked on and reached his own half century from 37 balls and remained undefeated as the Bears left the field wondering if they’d done enough.
Riki Wessels and Michael Lumb soon took Notts ahead in the chase, with the 50 stand coming up with a wide at the start of the seventh over. By that stage Lumb had passed the 17 he needed to bring up his 1,000 T20 run for Notts, the seventh batsman to do so.
Both openers cleared the ropes with immaculate timing, leaving the home side cursing a spilled chance that Wessels gave to Bell at mid-off.
The ninth over saw the end of both players. Keith Barker had Lumb caught at extra cover for 34 and two balls later Wessels hit to Hain at mid-off for 37.
Greg Smith went on the attack from the off and kept the board moving, backed up by his skipper. Christian was content to rotate the strike until launching into Ateeq Javid with two big sixes in the 16th but was then given out lbw for 37 to the same bowler.
Again, another wicket fell straight after as Samit Patel was caught and bowled by Barker for just a single.
Smith and Brendan Taylor were left with 13 needed from the final two overs but they weren’t all needed as Smith attacked Barker in the penultimate over.
He played a clever ramp shot for four and then pulled a mighty maximum to bring up his 50 from 30 balls, with five fours and two sixes. With the scores tied Taylor pushed Hannon-Dalby into the covers for the winning run.
Notts Outlaws will face the Essex Eagles in the quarter-final of the NatWest T20 Blast on Monday 8 August, with tickets going on sale at 9.30am on Monday 1 August.