Wiese fifty, Parnell three-for as Superchargers hold off Rockets

Northern Superchargers made it two wins from their two completed matches as they held off Trent Rockets' chase to win by three runs at Trent Bridge.

Superchargers were defending 142 for 5, having recovered from a devastating burst of 3 for 8 in 10 balls by Luke Wood at the start thanks to David Wiese, who made 54 from 25, and Brydon Carse (33 from 29) adding 72 unbroken from 48 balls, of which 47 came off the last 15 deliveries, including four sixes from the Namibia allrounder.

After Alex Hales hit 29 from 22 balls at the top of the Rockets innings, Sam Hain (20 from 12) and Daniel Sams (27 from 14) took them close but ultimately Reece Topley (2 for 20) defended nine off the last five balls to see the Superchargers home. Wayne Parnell (3 for 21) and Callum Parkinson (2 for 27) did the damage earlier.

After judging that bowling first was the best option on this pitch, Rockets could not have had a better start, left-armer Wood delivering back-to-back sets from the pavilion end and hitting the stumps three times to dismiss Tom Banton, Harry Brook and Matthew Short, each with full, swinging deliveries that he celebrated spectacularly.

After sharing 180 of the Superchargers' massive 201 for 3 against Southern Brave last time out, the trio's combined contribution this time was 8 - all to Short. Responsibility sat with Adam Hose to lead a rebuild from 9 for 3 but after finding the boundary three times he shanked one from Joe Root - in his first appearance of the competition - and was caught at wide long-on.

With Root's offbreaks and canny left-arm spinner Imad Wasim both making scoring difficult, Root picked up a second wicket when a Saif Zaib paddle went wrong. Superchargers looked in desperate need of a strong finish at 83 for 5 after 75.

Wiese provided it, hammering four sixes and three fours in a 25-ball unbeaten 54 - albeit having been gifted 10 of those runs by drops on the boundary rope by Hales and Hain - alongside a steadier innings from Carse to give themselves and the other Superchargers bowlers something to defend.

Rockets lost Dawid Malan to ball 13 when he found Brook at deep square leg off Parkinson but Hales and Munro were quickly into a rhythm, Munro lofting Parkinson over deep midwicket for six before Hales adeptly found the fence four times in five balls against Short's offspin.

However, both were out in the space of four deliveries to bring Superchargers right back into it as Parnell bowled his second set, Munro slicing to deep point and Hales aiming an inelegant swipe at one that kept a tad low and scattered his stumps.

It left two new batters at the crease and though Root was one of them, the former England captain lasted only eight deliveries, failing with the reverse sweep as Parkinson grabbed his second wicket. Hain lofted Parkinson beautifully over cover on the short side and Tom Kohler-Cadmore cleared the long-on boundary off Adil Rashid, leaving 51 required from the final 25 balls.

Hain and Kohler-Cadmore holed out in the space of four balls. Sams cleared the leg-side boundary twice off Wiese and Lewis Gregory defied Wiese's brilliant attempted stop to clear the long-on boundary off Parnell, Sams perished off ball 98 as he skied to long-on and the Rockets fell four short of their target.