Natwest T20 Blast semi-final: Nottinghamshire 169-7 beat Hampshire 146 by 23 runs

The 2010 and 2012 champions lost by 23 runs after being bowled out for 146, despite a 32-ball 56 from captain James Vince.

After conceding 169-7, Hampshire required their highest total of the season to win batting second.

They got off to the worst possible start when Shahid Afridi pulled the first ball, a Samit Patel long hop, straight to deep mid-wicket.

But they were favourites midway through their chase.

When Vince reached his fifty from only 25 balls (five fours, three sixes), Hampshire were 90-2 after ten overs, needing 79 from the last ten.

But they lost their next four wickets for 23 runs and their last four for six as Notts set up a final against Birmignham Bears, who had beaten Glamorgan in the first semi-final. 

Calvin Dickinson, one of five of Hampshire's Finals Day debutants, made a 21-ball 27 before he mistimed a pull to long on at the end of the powerplay (55-2).

James Vince hits one of his three sixes (PA)

But Vince soon went up a gear, coming down the track against Ish Sodhi’s leg-spin to launch a colossal six into the corporate suites before reaching his fourth fifty in five matches by launching Samit Patel for his third maximum.

When Tom Alsop gave Mullaney a return catch in the next over and George Bailey was bowled playing across the line, the stage was set for Michael Carberry in what could turn out to be his last game for Hampshire.

Michael Carberry (PA)

Back with Hampshire for Finals Day after starting his loan with Leicestershire last week, he thumped Patel for a straight six only to see Vince whip Mullaney into the hands of deep square leg - before being run out by Patel’s direct hit as Liam Dawson attempted a quick single.

Needing 30 off the last four overs, Hampshire lost Dawson, Gareth Berg, both caught at long-on, and Kyle Abbott in the space of four balls from left-armer Harry Gurney.

It was all over when Chris Wood was bowled by Jake Ball.

The decision to leave out Sean Ervine and keep the same XI that won the quarter-final at Derbyshire meant that Vince is Hampshire’s only remaining Finals Day ever-present.

Despite five of Hampshire’s eight wins coming after batting first in the run to Edgbaston, Vince decided to field first, no doubt recalling his side’s stunning chases against Notts in the Trent Bridge quarter-finals of 2012 and 2014.

Two catches at short third man gave Wood the wickets of dangerman Alex Hales and Tom Moores before Notts reached 56-2 at the end of the powerplay.

Dawson was unfortunate to concede four overthrows from a Vince at the end of the first over and Hales smashed Berg for ten in two balls at the end of the next after a miscued pull landed just out of the Hampshire captain’s reach.

Then, with his third ball, Wood claimed the big wicket of Hales, who was caught by Afridi at backward point after slicing an attempted cut.

Shahid Afridi celebrates the catch that dismissed Alex Hales (PA)

Riki Wessels responded by hitting Abbott and Wood for sixes in successive overs, pulled over Carberry at backward square leg and drilled over long-off.

The fifth over ended with Moores chopping a Wood full toss to short third man, where Kyle Abbott took an excellent catch tumbling backwards.

Chris Wood celebrates his dismissal of Tom Moores (PA)

Wessels responded by hitting the first three balls after the powerplay, from Dawson, for four.

Then Crane began an outstanding spell (4-0-22-1), in which he dismissed Wessels with his third ball, the Notts dangerman caught via a leading edge by Vince at short extra cover trying to play against the spin.

Mason Crane celebrates his wicket

Crane was outstanding in tandem with leg-spin twin Shahid Afridi, who celebrated his first wicket of the day when Brendon Taylor skied to long-off, where Wood took the catch.

Shahid Afridi after his dismissal (PA)

When Dawson replaced Crane, Samit Patel responded with a straight six only to be caught at long off by Bailey attempting another off the next ball.

George Bailey catches Samit Patel (PA)

Dan Christian pulled, cut and slogged Abbott for three sixes in four balls in the 17th over, the latter off a full toss, before drilling to deep cover.

Then Afridi took an outstanding catch at short third man when Mullaney, the hero of Notts’ quarter-final win, edged an attempted drive against Dawson.

Liam Dawson (PA)

But Abbott conceded his fifth six in the penultimate over, when Ish Sodhi pulled over mid-wicket, before Billy Root, brother of Joe, helped set Hampshire a tough target of exactly 8.5 runs an over.

It proved to be too many for a Hampshire side that has struggled for consistency throughout the campaign.

Nottinghamshire innings
MH Wessels c Vince b Crane 48 (27)
AD Hales c Shahid Afridi b Wood 15 (7)
TJ Moores † c Abbott b Wood 0 (4)
BRM Taylor c Wood b Shahid Afridi 19 (20)
SR Patel c Bailey b Dawson 35 (31)
DT Christian (c) c Carberry b Abbott 24 (12)
SJ Mullaney c Shahid Afridi b Dawson 0 (2)
WT Root not out 11 (8)
IS Sodhi not out 15 (9)
Extras 2 (b 1, lb 1)

TOTAL 169-7 (20 overs)

Did not bat: JT Ball, HF Gurney

Bowling: LA Dawson 4-0-36-2, GK Berg 3-0-29-0, CP Wood 2-0-17-2,  KJ Abbott 3-0-41-0, MS Crane 4-0-22-1, Shahid Afridi 4-0-22-1

Fall of wickets: 1-23 (AD Hales, 2.3 ov), 2-49 (TJ Moores, 4.6 ov), 3-71 (MH Wessels, 7.3 ov), 4-99 (BRM Taylor, 12.2 ov), 5-122 (SR Patel, 15.3 ov), 6-143 (DT Christian, 16.6 ov), 7-148 (SJ Mullaney, 17.4 ov)

Hampshire innings
Shahid Afridi c Hales b Patel 0 (1)
CM Dickinson † c Christian b Ball 27 (21)
JM Vince (c) c Taylor b Mullaney 56 (32)
TP Alsop c & b Mullaney 20 (17)
GJ Bailey b Mullaney 4 (6)
MA Carberry run out (Patel) 13 (9)
LA Dawson c Wessels b Gurney 4 (7)
GK Berg c Wessels b Gurney 15 (12)
KJ Abbott c Christian b Gurney 0 (1)
CP Wood b Ball 2 (4)
MS Crane not out 3 (2)
Extras 2 (lb 1, w 1)

TOTAL 146 all out (18.4 overs)

Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Shahid Afridi, 0.1 ov), 2-55 (CM Dickinson, 5.6 ov), 3-97 (TP Alsop, 10.4 ov), 4-105 (GJ Bailey, 12.2 ov), 5-120 (JM Vince, 14.2 ov), 6-120 (MA Carberry, 14.4 ov), 7-140 (LA Dawson, 17.1 ov), 8-140 (GK Berg, 17.3 ov), 9-140 (KJ Abbott, 17.4 ov), 10-146 (CP Wood, 18.4 ov)

BOWLING: SR Patel 4-0-32-1, HF Gurney 3-0-19-3, JT Ball 3.4-0-32-2, DT Christian 1-0-16-0, IS Sodhi 3-0-24-0, S Mullaney 4-0-22-0.