Steven Mullaney (3-22) and Harry Gurney (3-19) skittle Hampshire
Saturday 2 September 2017 21:59, UK
Nottinghamshire Outlaws booked a meeting with the Birmingham Bears in the final of the 2017 NatWest T20 Blast after beating Hampshire by 23 runs in the second semi-final, at Edgbaston.
The Outlaws posted 169-7 after being put into bat first, Riki Wessels top-scoring with 48 from 27 balls, and then bowled out Hants for 146 in reply.
Hampshire captain James Vince (56) had tonked a 25-ball fifty to see his side into a strong position at 97-2 in the 11th over before Steven Mullaney (3-22) struck in consecutive overs to swing the game in favour of Notts and then Harry Gurney (3-19) mopped up the tail.
Tom Alsop (20) was the first to fall to Mullaney, caught and bowled, then George Bailey (4) was bowled, before the crucial wicket of Vince was added, caught at deep square leg.
Michael Carberry (13) departed two balls after Vince, run out, and Hampshire could not fight their way back into the game, losing their final eight wickets for 49 runs as they slipped to defeat.
Earlier, Wessels and Alex Hales got Notts off to a typically free-scoring start, though Hales' cameo was a little brief, as he fell for 15 in the third over shortly after smashing his only six, a trademark hoick over the deep midwicket boundary.
Chris Wood (2-17) also accounted for Tom Moores, out for a duck when caught at short third man, in his next and final over.
The Outlaws fought back, with Wessels finding a more willing partner in Brendan Taylor (19), before Samit Patel took on the big-hitting mantle following Wessels' departure to Mason Crane's third ball.
England spinners Crane (1-22) and Liam Dawson (2-36) both impressed for Hampshire, the latter picking up Patel, and Mullaney for a duck.
But, Notts skipper Dan Christian (24 off 12) blasted three sixes in between those strikes, while Ish Sodhi (15no) added a maximum of his own late on to help lift the Outlaws up to a competitive score.
In reply, Shahid Afridi, who smashed a maiden T20 ton in Hampshire's quarter-final win over Derbyshire, couldn't repeat his big-hitting heroics and, in fact, couldn't last more than one ball.
Facing the left-arm-spin of Patel in the first over, Afridi holed out to deep midwicket off the very first ball, though Vince's fabulous fifty helped Hampshire recover from that early blow.
Calvin Dickinson (27) and Alsop also impressed, scoring quickly, to see Hampshire into a strong position at the halfway point of their chase, but Mullaney's spell saw the wheels come off and Hampshire ultimately collapsed to 146 all out in 18.4 overs.
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