Steelbacks suffer second successive home defeat as Outlaws prevail

Northants had won their opening six matches in the Blast, but they have now been beaten by Durham and Nottinghamshire during the past week.

Tom Moores smashed 53 off just 27 balls to help set up the victory for the Outlaws in Northampton.

Moores struck five fours and three sixes to regain the initiative for the away side after they made just 33 for two in the powerplay.

He shared a 43-run partnership with Jack Haynes (32) in five overs.

The visitors were still well behind the pace on 111 for five after 16 overs before Moores blazed 20 off one over from Luke Procter (2-26) and, with three lower middle order batters each smashing a six, Nottinghamshire closed on a competitive 164 for eight.

Ricardo Vasconcelos (18) and Justin Broad (16) started briskly in the chase, but the hosts lost early wickets and failed to push on, struggling on 50 for four after 10 overs.

Outlaws off-spinners Matt Montgomery (3-22) and Farhan Ahmed (2-23) were key in putting the squeeze on the hosts.

David Willey thumped two sixes in his 20 and while Saif Zaib (37) and Lewis McManus (22) put on 45 in 4.3 overs, the game finished in a clatter of wickets, the last five falling in 12 balls as the Steelbacks were bowled out for 140.

Earlier, Willey (1-17) conceded just three runs off his first two overs, but on a rare expensive evening for Ben Sanderson, Lyndon James (19) smashed three legside boundaries before driving him through the covers.

But it was Sanderson who made the first breakthrough when Joe Clarke was caught by Willey at wide mid-on.

The Outlaws lost a second when James played expansively against Procter and edged behind to McManus.

With just two coming from the over, the Outlaws finished the powerplay on 33 for two.

It was McManus’ fiftieth T20 catch for Northamptonshire, the first Steelbacks keeper to reach that milestone and on his fiftieth T20 appearance for the club

Freddie McCann fell to a sensational catch by Willey running backwards at long-off, but that brought together Moores and Haynes, who had opened his account with a punch through the covers off Sanderson and two off-side boundaries off Australian spinner Lloyd Pope’s first over.

George Scrimshaw conceded 19 off his second, Moores dispatching him over square leg for six before pulling his next ball behind square.

Pope broke the partnership, trapping Haynes as he went to sweep, the Outlaws losing another wicket in the next over when Daniel Sams was bowled by Willey eyeing up a legside strike.

Moores motored on, smashing Pope aerially for four.

Then, in one extraordinary over from Procter, he clobbered him down the ground for consecutive sixes, thumping his next ball straight for four.

Moores brought up his half-century by pulling Procter’s next delivery for four before he was caught by a diving Willey at long leg.

Montgomery, Liam Patterson-White and Calvin Harrison all struck sixes down the ground in the closing overs, adding crucial runs.

There were consolation wickets for Sanderson, who had Montgomery caught in the deep, and Scrimshaw, who bowled Patterson-White.

In the chase, Vasconcelos top-edged and scooped Sams over the keeper for two sixes in his first over, but Matt Breetzke, playing his last innings before joining up with the South African Test squad, fell cheaply, caught on the boundary.

Broad picked up early boundaries before picking out deep midwicket to give Ahmed his first wicket as the Steelbacks ended the powerplay on 34 for two.

Ahmed picked up a second when Vasconcelos top-edged to Dillon Pennington at short fine-leg off an attempted sweep.

In the next over, Ravi Bopara chipped a return catch back to Harrison.

Willey swept for a big six behind square and deposited another maximum over deep midwicket, but was caught attempting one more big hit off Montgomery.

McManus was fluent against the spinners, sweeping and reverse sweeping as well as cutting seamer Sams for four.

Sams almost removed Zaib but he was dropped at deep midwicket by Haynes, the ball going for six.

Zaib then slog-swept an enormous six off Pennington before holing out at long-off off the same bowler, heralding the end.

Northants now take a break from the Blast until the game against Lancashire Lightning on Friday, July 4 as they face Middlesex and Kent in County Championship Division Two.

The Middlesex match starts on Sunday at Wantage Road (11am).