Runs galore at Trent Bridge again as Birmingham Bears seal memorable triumph

An unbeaten stand of 174 in 70 balls between Sam Hain - who hit a maiden hundred at this level - and Adam Hose, with an undefeated 88, set the tone for the Bears against Notts Outlaws

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Trent Bridge: Birmingham Bears 261-2, Notts Outlaws 206 - Birmingham Bears won by 55 runs

Scorecard

Matching the barnstorming batting of the Test match at Trent Bridge venue three days earlier, Birmingham Bears posted the highest total ever made in English domestic T20 cricket, claiming a Vitality Blast victory over Nottinghamshire Outlaws by 55 runs.

Just seven better scores than the Bears' 261 for 2 have ever been made in global men's T20.

An unbeaten stand of 174 in 70 balls between Sam Hain - who hit a maiden hundred at this level - and Adam Hose, with an undefeated 88, was the best for the third wicket in this country, beating Hose's own 171 with Ian Bell four years ago.

Joe Clarke made a withering 86 from 45 balls in riposte to take the Outlaws to 150 for 2, with 112 needed at 14.6 per over. But he fell at long-off and the rest crashed in 36 balls. Short boundaries and a rock-hard pitch had almost turned the match into a licensed exhibition of free hitting but the rate could not ultimately be sustained under pressure.

Carlos Brathwaite, the Bear's captain, removed Clarke, and Danny Briggs held his nerve to dismiss both Tom Moores for 46 and Steven Mullaney first ball as the decline set in.

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Joe Clarke made 86 in vain as Notts Outlaws chased a T20 Blast record total [Getty Images]

It seemed that only by taking early wickets would the Bears stop the Outlaws responding but they managed just the removal of Alex Hales, beautifully taken at cover off Ollie Stone by Hain running back for 4, and Ben Duckett, who miscued a swipe at Brathwaite to short third man for 26, in the reply's six powerplay overs.

Though the Bears, put in earlier, lost Alex Davies for 5, driving spinner Matt Carter to extra cover, Carter's second over was hammered for 22 and the last three of the six powerplay overs were taken for 41, as Yates raced past his previous T20 best of 37.

It took the veteran Samit Patel to impose a measure of temporary control at one end, undoing Yates for 53 when he just failed to clear long-off in the ninth over, but it was clear by now that high scoring was certain. And while Mullaney, a seventh bowler, allowed only six from the 12th over, the Bears, on 121 for 2, had the platform for an onslaught.

Hain reached his fifty from 29 balls, three more than Yates had taken, but Hose outscored both in slamming his 88 from just 35, 10 of them dispatched for six and another three for four. No bowler escaped brutal mistreatment but, in retrospect, Luke Fletcher - with 'only' 35 off his four overs - was positively miserly.

Not quite so effective, however, as the Bears own men would prove later in forcing the Outlaws' sudden decline. As the asking rate soared, Patel smashed to wide midwicket to be caught for 2 and Calvin Harrison went for the same score, bowled off stump by Stone. Dan Christian, caught cutting, was ninth out for 33 but the game had long gone.


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