Rashid Khan said the adulation he received from the Trent Bridge faithful helped him spearhead Trent Rockets to victory in their penultimate home game - a win which reignited his side’s qualification hopes.
The Afghan leg-spinner took 4-24 - including two wickets in two balls - as the Trent Rockets triumphed by 22 runs, defending 166.
He was roared on by his home support with the ball in hand, having earlier struck a six with his only ball faced - the last of the first innings.
The heave over long on gave the hosts added impetus heading into field, after Outlaws opener Alex Hales led from the front with a 42-ball 68.
“I think it is important for me to finish the innings on a high,” Khan said.
“It is about having the right mindset and it is obviously nice to have a strike rate of 600!
“We have a lot of players who can cause damage with three or four hits - it is always important in shorter format cricket to have power in the back end, when you are trying to change the momentum of the game.”
And the momentum was well and truly with the Rockets after Khan’s first set.
The 25-year-old had Dan Lawrence caught at long on by Rovman Powell before trapping Shimron Hetmyer in front - a decision given out on review.
That reduced Spirit to 49-4 after 33 balls, and Khan went on to claim the dismissals of Keaton Jennings and Liam Dawson.
“It was unlucky not to get the hat-trick, but the support from the crowd makes it so entertaining and memorable for me,” he said.
“The love you get from this crowd whenever you get a wicket is unbelievable.
“When I got a couple of wickets the strategy was to keep it tight and bowl as many dot balls as possible.
“We try to squeeze and squeeze and give ourselves a chance to win the game, which is what we did.”
Khan was also full of praise for the knock from home favourite Hales, which put the Rockets in a strong position at the halfway stage.
“It was a crucial innings from Alex,” he reflected.
“Such an innings in the top order gives us a good chance of winning the game. The way he started, he kept the innings together and batted through.
“He took responsibility as the most experienced player. He has played a lot here and he knows how to bat in these situations.
“It was very useful and a great innings from him, and hopefully we see some more of those in the coming games.”
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