Moores onslaught sets up Notts win at Northants

Tom Moores smashed 53 off just 27 balls to help set up a 24-run Vitality Blast victory over Northamptonshire Steelbacks at Wantage Road.

Moores struck 5 fours and three sixes to regain the initiative for the Outlaws after they made just 33 for two in the powerplay. He shared a 43-run partnership with Jack Haynes (32) in five overs.

However, 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.

Moores said: “The squad are feeling great. It's a great win. We've had such a mixed start to our campaign. We've shown some unbelievable stuff, and what this group can do, we just haven't been able to gather any momentum and string a few wins together. And I think we've just got to keep taking the belief that this tournament's still real live for us.

“I've been involved at this club for a decent amount of time now, and we've gone on and won it from stages like this, where it's not always been perfect and plain sailing, but we keep fighting, we keep getting better through the tournament, we have different people put their hands up at different times. Hopefully, we have a bit of a break now where the lads go and play red ball, and we come back and we go again, and we can all just keep fighting our way through and try and push for a qualifying spot.

“Credit to all the lads the way they've bounced back, and fought out there and on what was not an easy surface, being able to put a total on the board and then go and defend it, I thought the boys did brilliantly well. I thought all the lads bowled beautifully. And we fielded out of our skins. We did really well. We threw ourselves around, and we did a great job.”