Notts Outlaws face Leicestershire Foxes in the NatWest T20 Blast competition at Trent Bridge on Friday evening with a 6.30pm start.
The match will conclude the group stages and finds the teams at opposite ends of the North Group table.
Notts top the group and are already assured of a home quarter final as the competition progresses into the knock-out stages. Leicestershire have had a disappointing campaign and go into the match at the foot of the table.
Head To Head
Notts Outlaws and Leicestershire Foxes have been regular opponents since the domestic T20 competition began in 2003.
They have met on 26 previous occasions, although the fixture has suffered some bad luck with regards to the weather.
Leicestershire have been victorious on 11 occasions, whilst the Outlaws have won nine times. Six matches have fallen victim to poor conditions.
At Trent Bridge the head-to-head record lies in favour of the home side, with Notts leading by six wins to five, with the 2007 fixture being completely washed out and the 2011 clash being classified as a No Result after starting but being unable to finish due to the rain.
One of the Foxes victories at Trent Bridge, the 2006 Final, is technically classified as being ‘played on neutral ground’ as Notts hosted the Finals Day that year.
Last Time
Leicestershire Foxes ended a miserable sequence of results at Trent Bridge by winning last season’s Blast meeting by six wickets.
Umar Akmal, plus six penalty runs, were the significant factors as the visitors gathered the two points.
Akmal, on his Foxes’ debut, made an unbeaten 76 as the match ended in slightly controversial circumstances.
After he had plundered his third six of a Luke Fletcher over, the 19th of the innings, the umpires intervened and announced that they had imposed a further six penalty runs against the home side, as they would be unable to start their final over in time.
That brought a premature halt to proceedings, with seven deliveries left. Akmal scored his runs from 49 balls, hitting four fours and five sixes as the Foxes ended a bleak series of results in Nottingham, which had seen them lose on six of their previous seven visits.
The home side, including England’s Stuart Broad in their T20 side for the first time since Finals Day in 2010, had made 148 for seven for after being inserted, with Alex Hales top scoring with 54.
Clint McKay shone with the ball for the Foxes, finishing with figures of four for 24 in front of a crowd of 11,057. In the final over of the innings McKay removed Brendan Taylor and James Taylor with consecutive deliveries and although he missed out on a hat-trick, the innings ended with Broad being run out without facing.
Although the chase had slipped to 53 for four at one stage Akmal took over and used all his experience to move to 50 from 41 balls before cutting loose in explosive fashion to guide his side to the win.
History
Twenty20 Finals Day at Trent Bridge in 2006 didn’t go how the home supporters hoped. Nottinghamshire Outlaws’ first participation at Finals Day saw them outclass Surrey in the semi-final to set up a showdown with Leicestershire Foxes in the final.
Batting first, the Foxes made 177 for two, with Darren Maddy making 86 not out - but the Outlaws came agonisingly close to their target before falling four runs short.
There was a feeling that they were perhaps a little hard done by, with the final ball of the contest, bowled by Jim Allenby, appearing to be above waist height before it was whacked over the ropes for six by Will Smith.
Despite being under pressure from the crowd to award a no-ball, the umpires called time, both on the contest and also on Notts’ hopes.
Played For Them Both
Greg Smith is one of four opposition batsmen to score a T20 century against Notts Outlaws. Ironically, two of the other three, Brad Hodge and Jim Allenby, were also playing for Leicestershire at the time.
Smith, who is now in his second season as an Outlaws player, scored 102 for the Foxes in the 2014 meeting at Grace Road. He blasted his runs from just 54 balls, with 13 fours and four sixes, but couldn’t prevent his side stumbling to a 24-run defeat.
Smith’s innings that day was ended by Harry Gurney, also a former Foxes player.
Others to have represented both counties include Stuart Broad, Vasbert Drakes, AJ Harris, Will Jefferson, Nadeem Malik, David Millns, Kevin O’Brien, Charlie Shreck, Richard Stemp, Peter Such and James Taylor.
South African international Farhaan Behardien may be involved with the Foxes this evening.
In May 2014 Behardien played one Second XI championship match for Notts, away against Worcestershire. He scored 18 and took two catches in a Luke Fletcher hat-trick.
Stats
Stats (in all T20 matches between Notts & Leics)
Highest Team Total:
Notts: 220-4 (Grace Road, 2014) – county record
Leics: 205-2 (Grace Road, 2009)
Highest Individual Score:
Notts: 73 DJ Hussey (Trent Bridge, 2011)
Leics: 110 J Allenby (Grace Road, 2009)
Best Bowling
Notts 4-19 SJ Mullaney (Grace Road, 2012)
Leics 5-13 AB McDonald (Trent Bridge, 2012) best by anyone v Notts
Most Runs off One Over
30 by Mark Ealham (Notts) off David Masters (Leics) – (264666 at Trent Bridge, 2006)
Did You Know?
Leicestershire Foxes have an outstanding record in the domestic T20 competition, winning the event on three occasions, the only side to do so.
They have been victorious in 2004, 2006 and 2011 and also reached Finals Day in both 2003 and 2005.
Milestones
Riki Wessels (1882) needs 41 runs to go past David Hussey (1922) into third place in Notts’ all-time T20 list, also needs 118 runs to become third Outlaw to reach 2,000 T20 runs.
Samit Patel (49) needs one more catch for 50 in T20 cricket.
Steven Mullaney (47) needs three more catches to reach 50 in T20 cricket – 46 of them have been for Notts, no-one has taken more for the county (Samit Patel has 41).
Harry Gurney (49) needs one more wicket to become the fifth bowler to reach 50 T20 wickets for the Outlaws, joining Patel, Mullaney, Pattinson and Fletcher.
Ticket Information
Vs. Leicestershire Foxes – Friday 29 July 6.30pm BUY TICKETS
Need more information? Call our ticket office on 0844 8118711.