Outlaws steal quarter-final place with victory at Headingley

Defending champions Nottinghamshire advanced to the quarter-finals of the Vitality Blast at the expense of Yorkshire as they chased down 164 to win by eight wickets with an over to spare

^{Alex Hales made important runs for Notts Outlaws at Headingley}

Headingley: Yorkshire Vikings 163-6, Notts Outlaws 169-2 - Notts Outlaws won by eight wickets

Scorecard

Defending champions Nottinghamshire advanced to the quarter-finals of the Vitality Blast at the expense of Yorkshire as they chased down 164 to win by eight wickets with an over to spare at Emerald Headingley.

The Outlaws returned a polished display in this winner-takes-all final North Group clash.

Yorkshire posted 163 for six after electing to bat on what proved to be a two-paced pitch, with captain David Willey top-scoring with 51 off 40 balls and Adam Lyth and Kane Williamson hitting 44 apiece.

But Harry Gurney was superb with 1-16 from four overs as the Outlaws impressed with the ball and in the field.

Alex Hales then led a chase which never looked like faltering with his first Blast fifty of 2018 in his fifth innings.  

He finished 71 not out off 56 balls and shared half-century stands for the second and third wickets with Jake Libby and Tom Moores.

Both sides came into this level on 14 points, with Yorkshire in fourth place courtesy of a superior net run rate.

Notts, who played three frontline spinners to Yorkshire’s none, now face Somerset at Taunton in the quarter-finals next week. 

Willey posted his second 50 in two nights after his 79 in the win against former county Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.

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In that game, he shared 150 for the second wicket with Lyth, but they fell eight short of making it back-to-back century partnerships when the latter top-edged a sweep off Steven Mullaney behind (96 for two in the 13th).

Willey then followed in the next over from the Kirkstall Lane End when he pulled Luke Fletcher to deep mid-wicket as the score slipped to 106 for three.

Yorkshire’s innings was a mixed affair. 

They were stifled in the first three overs, with debutant off-spinner Matthew Carter removing Tom Kohler-Cadmore with the second ball of the match in 12 for one after three.

Willey and Lyth, who both hit big leg-side sixes, then got Yorkshire moving as they reached 85 for one after eleven before being tied down again in overs 13, 14 and 15 as Notts claimed Lyth and Willey for the addition of only 12 runs.

Williamson then hit three fours and a six off Samit Patel’s left-arm spin in the 16th over, which yielded 20 runs, but they stumbled again late on from 130 for three despite the New Zealand captain’s classy knock.

Gurney bowled Jordan Thompson to claim his only wicket, but he was the standout with his variations and yorkers in an innings which saw only one wide conceded.

Willey forced Riki Wessels to chop on in the third over of the reply, but Hales and Libby took the score to 58 for one after six overs of powerplay.

They both played in a controlled manner and shared 73 in 8.2 overs for the second wicket before Libby (30) was stumped off Lyth’s part-time off-spin, leaving the score at 98 for two in the 12th.

Hales reached 50 off 36 balls shortly afterwards before in-form wicketkeeper batsman Moores helped him see the game home in swashbuckling fashion with an unbeaten 43 off 24 balls.

They shared an unbroken 71 in 7.4 overs, ensuring this will almost certainly be Liam Plunkett’s last game for Yorkshire.

Report courtesy of the ECB Reporters Network