After over a decade at the heart of the Nottinghamshire bowling attack, you could be forgiven for thinking that Luke Fletcher will have seen it all by now.

From tasting County Championship glory to triumphing in white ball finals, the seamer has been a cornerstone of many of Notts’ greatest achievements this century.

But the breathtaking climax to Monday's Royal London One-Day Cup clash against Northamptonshire was unlike anything he had ever experienced.

Chasing 326 to win, the Outlaws were in danger of falling well short of their target before Tom Moores’ 69 and Samit Patel’s gutsy unbeaten 136 sealed victory with three balls to spare.

“It was a crazy game really – we needed a partnership, but we just kept losing quick wickets” said Fletcher.

“We were keeping our eyes on other results elsewhere in the group, and we were getting a bit nervous because Worcestershire were doing well, and we didn’t want to throw away the chance of a home semi-final.

“We needed something special and Samit, in true Samit style, stepped up and delivered.

“When he hit the winning runs the balcony was as loud as I’ve ever witnessed it - it was incredible.”

Qualifying for the semi finals may have been nailbiting, but the Outlaws' form in their opening five games – particularly with the bat – was without precedent.

And while he may be better known as an accomplished practitioner with the ball, Fletcher’s hitting came to the fore at crucial times during that run.

Aided by a brutal 17-ball 46 against Lancashire, the 30-year-old is currently scoring faster than almost anybody else in the competition, with his 95 runs coming at a strike rate of 179.24.

“The pitches we play on at Trent Bridge certainly help you to put your hands through the ball, but I’ve worked a lot on my batting, particularly since the back end of last year,” said Fletcher.

“I just teed off in that innings against Lancs, and it was great to see the ball keep sailing over the ropes.

“I’ve gained a lot of confidence from some of the scores that I’ve managed to rack up, and I feel my white ball batting has really come on.”

The right-armer has also excelled with the ball this spring, topping the wicket-taking charts for Notts with 16 scalps.

Observers have noted a common theme with many of his dismissals, with several batsmen choosing not to play at his deliveries before seeing the ball crash into their stumps.

And Fletcher admits he has been working on new ways to bamboozle batsmen.

“You don’t get much swing with the white ball, so you need to try and get some movement off the pitch to work in your favour.

“I was working on a wobble seam delivery through the winter, and at times it was annoying because it wasn’t working the way I wanted it to, but I think I’ve got there with it now.

“You just need to give yourself as many options as you can to make yourself more of a threat.”

This will be far from the first time Fletcher has lined up in a List A knockout game, having won three of the six he has taken part in so far – including that remarkable 2017 final at Lord’s.

And he is preparing to draw on all of that experience to navigate his way through another crunch clash.

“Once you’ve been through these sorts of games a few times, you work out that the key thing is to not let the pressure affect you.

“There might be times when you feel like the opposition is getting away from you, but you’ve got to remain calm, because that’s the way you reach finals and win trophies.”

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