Taylor and White hammer Steelbacks to sensational win and into the Blast quarter-finals

Tom Taylor scored an unbeaten 50 on his debut to help the Steelbacks secure a incredible seven-wicket win over Birmingham Bears and qualify for the Vitality T20 Blast quarter-finals.
Graeme White hit 37 not out from just 12 balls for the SteelbacksGraeme White hit 37 not out from just 12 balls for the Steelbacks
Graeme White hit 37 not out from just 12 balls for the Steelbacks

Chasing the Bears' 191 for five the Steelbacks looked dead and buried as they collapsed to 71 for six.

But Taylor and Rob Keogh (37) got things moving for Northants before Graeme White hammered a sensational 37 not out from just 12 balls to fire David Ripley's side to victory with seven balls to spare.

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The win, couple with Somerset's last-ball defeat to Gloucestershire meant the Steelbacks, incredibly, finished second in the table to move into the knockout stages.

Tom Taylor claimed two wickets and hit an unbeaten 50 on his Northants debutTom Taylor claimed two wickets and hit an unbeaten 50 on his Northants debut
Tom Taylor claimed two wickets and hit an unbeaten 50 on his Northants debut

The victory also brought an end to a run of four straight defeats in the competition, and they can now look forward to a road trip in the last eight where they will be gunning for the win and a place in Finals Day back at Edgbaston in October.

The clash with the Bears was a match the Steelbacks looked like they had won, and then thrown away, but they found the strength of character to come though and win it.

As well as shining with bat, Taylor also had a huge impact with the ball.

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His first delivery was smashed for six over mid-wicket by Rob Yates, but his second was a wicket, Yates mistiming another pull to Ben Sanderson at mid-on.

Two balls later and Taylor had another wicket, bowling Will Rhodes for a duck, as he ended his first over for the club with figures of two for seven.

That left the Bears 20 for two, and two balls into the fourth over they were 20 for four - Sanderson claiming two wickets in two balls, trapping Sam Hain leg before and having Michael Burgess caught at slip by Richard Levi.

The Bears had lost four wickets in seven balls and were 24 for four after four overs.

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The home side needed somebody to step up, and that man was Adam Hose, who along with Dan Mousley saw their team to 75 for four at the 10 over mark.

Hose reached his 50 from 37 balls, and he wasn't finished there.

He continued to plunder runs from all of the bowlers, as the Steelbacks struggled to contain him.

Hose brought up his century from just 52 balls, hitting eight fours and six sixes.

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Mousley was also enjoying himself at the other end as the pair brought up the 150 partnership off the last ball of the 18th over.

The runs did slow a little, but by the time Hose was run out going for a second off the final ball he was on 119, with Mousley on 58 and the Bears had totalled 191 for five.

The Steelbacks bowling figures were not pretty, but Sanderson was the pick of the bunch with two for 26 from his four overs, while Taylor ended with two for 38.

Northants' reply got off to a disastrous start, with Richard Levi caught off the bowling of Tim Bresnan in the first over, Jake Lintott taking the catch after a top edge flew down to long-leg.

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Stirling hit four fours in the second over to lift the Steelbacks to 19 for one, but then skipper Josh Cobb hit Lintott's first ball straight to extra cover where Don Mousley took the catch.

Cobb was out for a duck and the Steelbacks were 19 for two.

That brought Adam Rossington to the crease, but his stay was short-lived as he tried a flat batted effort over Bresnan's head, and simply hit the ball straight to mid-on to leave Northants 28 for three.

Luke Procter was caught at mid-on off Bresnan to make it 48 for four and when Stirling gloved Liam Norwell behind the Steelbacks looked all but done and dusted at 53 for five.

Saif Zaib played a few handsome shots as he eased to 14, but he then clipped Harry Brookes straight down the throat of deep fine-leg and it was 71 for six.

Surely there would be no way back?

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Enter Taylor and Keogh, who batted sensibly and then started to open up as the County edged their way back into the game, although 98 was still needed from the final eight overs.

Keogh, playing his first match of the T20 campaign, had stroked four fours and a six in his 37 when he was caught going for another big hit, and at 140 for seven it was the Bears who were still the big favourites.

But White had other ideas.

He went for the jugular and hammered four sixes and two fours to reach 37 not out from just 12 balls, and when Taylor hammered Bresnan for four over extra cover in the 19th over, he had completed a 27-ball 50 and won the game for his new club.

The former Leicestershire man hit seven fours and two sixes in a remarkable display, and he and White had put together an unbroken partnership of 53 in a little over four overs.

Northants then faced an anxious wait as other games were completed, but as news came through of Somerset's demise at Gloucestershire the celebrations could begin!