Wessels' 80 off 35 leads Notts charge

Nottinghamshire 128 for 1 (Wessels 80*) beat Worcestershire 124 for 8 (Cox 37*) by nine wickets
Scorecard

A brutal innings from Riki Wessels helped Nottinghamshire to their second NatWest T20 Blast victory of the weekend with a one-sided nine-wicket victory over Worcestershire at Trent Bridge.

Having toppled Northants on Friday evening, the Outlaws were equally ruthless in dismantling the Rapids to move into second place in the North Group table.

Set to score 125 to win, Notts reached their target in only 12.2 overs with Wessels blazing an unbeaten 80, scoring his runs from only 35 balls, He hit six fours and seven sixes in one of the most brutal assaults witnessed on the ground for some time.

Worcestershire limped their way to a score of 124 for 8, after morning rain had delayed the start by 15 minutes. Ben Cox made an unbeaten 37 and Tom Kohler-Cadmore scored 22 from 28 balls but far too many of their team-mates were guilty of gifting their wickets away.

Put in, after Dan Christian had won his eighth toss out of 10 for the Outlaws this season, the Rapids lost their way as early as the third over when Joe Leach fell for 18.

Leach had shown signs of intent by hoisting Harry Gurney for the only six of the innings but then perished to a catch at long-on from Jake Ball's bowling.

Christian took pace off the ball as soon as the Powerplay overs had been completed and was rewarded as Imran Tahir, Steven Mullaney, who took two for 26, and Samit Patel dried up the runs and picked up crucial wickets in the middle overs.

Tahir was the only bowler not to take a wicket but was nevertheless instrumental in throwing down the stumps to run out Brett D'Oliveira off his own bowling and then gathered a Ball return to dismiss Daryl Mitchell in the same way.

The chase soon became a formality, even though Michael Lumb fell to Matt Henry in the fourth over.

By then Wessels had already hit his straps, hitting Leach for 4646 at the end of the second over. The 30-year old continued in the same aggressive manner and brought up his fifty with his sixth maximum, from just 17 balls, the quickest in the competition this year.

Greg Smith provided additional firepower from the other end, hitting Matt Henry over the ropes on his way to an unbeaten 32 from 27 balls.