Alex Hales stood tall to help Trent Rockets (TRT) pip Northern Superchargers (NOS) and register back-to-back wins in the Hundred. Chasing 132, the hosts were six down and just 58 runs on the board. But Hales, along with valuable contributions from Rashid Khan and Matthew Carter, took Trent Rockets home in the 94th ball.
Spinners put Northern Superchargers in a spot after Stokes opted to bat first at Trent Bridge Ground. Carter claimed the wickets of Chris Lynn and Stokes, and Rashid removed opener Adam Lyth to pick up his first scalp of the tournament.
A half-century stand between Harry Brook and John Simpson helped Northern Superchargers recover from the early slump. The pair scored runs at a decent rate and looked like posting a challenging total. However, Trent Rockets skipper Lewis Gregory broke the partnership. Northern Superchargers went from 99/3 to 132 all out in the space of just 26 balls. The Afghanistan spinner added two more wickets to his tally, and Marchant De Lange, too, grabbed a three-wicket haul.
The visitors’ spin trio – Adil Rashid, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Callum Parkinson – rattled Trent Rockets’ top-order with four quick wickets. Tom Moores and Gregory, too, departed quickly. The home side had a mountain to climb, and Hales was the lone recognized batsman.
Despite a quick-fire 25 from Rashid, Trent Rockets found themselves on the brink of defeat after Stokes dismissed the Afghanistan spinner, and Mujeeb trapped Luke Wood in front of the wicket. With 16 needed off ten balls, Carter dispatched a full-toss from Willey into the crowd, and Hales, dropped by Stokes in the 77th ball, finished the game in style.
NOS 132 all out in 99 balls (J Simpson 42, H Brook 28; R Khan 3/31, M de Lange 3/22)
TRT 134/8 in 94 balls (A Hales 40*, R Khan 25; M Ur Rahman 2/24; B Stokes 2/24)
Player of the Match
3/22 & 25 – The Afghan spin king proved why he is one of the most sought-after franchise cricketers. He cleaned up Lyth in his fourth ball and struck twice in his last five balls to leave Northern Superchargers in tatters. The 12-ball 25 is one of his finest knocks. It was fearless hitting as he scored 15 runs – two fours and a six – off Rashid and struck a boundary off Parkinson and Brydon Carse.
Top Fantasy XI
R Khan (118 pts), M de Lange (87 pts), A Rashid (81 pts), A Hales (76 pts), J Simpson (76 pts), M Carter (74 pts), B Stokes (62 pts), M Ur Rahman (56 pts), C Parkinson (55 pts), L Gregory (54 pts), H Brook (47 pts)
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Parameswaran Sankaranarayanan
Parameswaran Sankaranarayan is a sports enthusiast who has worked in print, website, and other digital platforms. He was part of the editorial team of first-ever Indian football-based website - IndianFootball.com (now defunct) - and passionately follows the latest happenings in world football. During his time as a journalist, he had the opportunity to interact with some of the iconic personalities in Indian sports and witness some memorable moments in Indian football.
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