Pride, passion and precious Vitality Blast points are at stake as Leicestershire Foxes make the trip to Trent Bridge on Tuesday 21 June.

The Outlaws and Foxes have enjoyed a see-saw rivalry over the past 20 years of domestic T20 cricket, with a number of notable numerical landmarks reached along the way.

 

16 – wins for the Outlaws in 35 matches

With 16 victories apiece, this is a rivalry on a knife-edge.

The Foxes were one of England’s dominant T20 sides in the early years of the domestic competition, with their controversial victory over Notts in the 2006 showpiece at Trent Bridge sealing their second Twenty20 Cup triumph.

While the Outlaws may have enjoyed greater success in more recent years, their commanding win at the Uptonsteel County Ground on 10 June only returned Dan Christian’s men to parity in their overall head-to-head.

 

4/19 – best bowling v Foxes

Some six summers before he ascended to the role of club captain, a fresh-faced Steven Mullaney gave a glimpse of his white-ball mastery in a 2012 encounter at Grace Road.

So often a middle-over miser for the Outlaws, Mullaney’s four overs cost less than five runs apiece. But it was his wicket-taking that was equally crucial on an evening where the defending T20 champions were bundled out for 96.

Ramnaresh Sarwan, Matt Boyce, Kadeer Ali and Rob Taylor all fell to Mullaney as the Foxes recorded a score which was then a record low against the Outlaws.

 

220/4 – record score v Foxes

The Outlaws produced a brutal display of white-ball hitting at the home of the Foxes in 2014.

It was Riki Wessels and Samit Patel who would take the starring role in a midsummer encounter, each blasting half-centuries in double-quick time.

Wessels’ 66 from 31 balls was accompanied by Patel’s 63 from 37 – and despite a quickfire ton from future Outlaw Greg Smith, Leicestershire would finish some 24 runs in arrears.

 

90 – record low score for the Foxes vs the Outlaws

T20 may have become a format renowned for innovation, but it was good old-fashioned line-and-length from Luke Fletcher that foxed the Outlaws’ opponents at Trent Bridge in 2014.

Samit Patel’s 44 had helped carry Notts to 121/9 from their twenty overs – and the Foxes’ chase was almost immediately holed below the waterline.

Captain Josh Cobb and Greg Smith both edged behind in Fletcher’s first over – Notts’ second – before Niall O’Brien and Ned Eckersley both departed for single-figure scores.

Only Matthew Boyce and Ben Raine offered resistance, with 20 runs apiece, as Fletcher returned to bowl Atif Sheikh and complete the rout.

The visitors were skittled for 90 – and, until Worcestershire (86/8) and Birmingham (63) set new landmarks in 2021, it remained the lowest score recorded by any county against the Outlaws in T20 cricket.

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Be More Outlaw: The 2022 Vitality Blast at Trent Bridge

Tuesday 21 June, Notts Outlaws vs Leicestershire Foxes: Secure your seats…

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