Imran Tahir leads march towards knock-outs as Durham win fifth in a row

Durham 170 for 4 (Collingwood 50*) beat Northants 95 (Tahir 4-16) by 75 runs
Scorecard

Durham Jets took a step towards the quarter-finals of the Vitality Blast by notching their fifth win in a row in the competition, defeating Northamptonshire Steelbacks by 75 runs at Emirates Riverside.

The home side were inserted by the winless Steelbacks ,and although they were unable to get off to a flying start, Paul Collingwood's fifty along with quickfire scores in the twenties from Liam Trevaskis and James Weighell guided Durham to a competitive total of 170.

Northamptonshire were behind the rate from the off as Durham's bowlers dominated the second half of the contest. Imran Tahir led the way with four wickets for 16 runs, while Weighell and Nathan Rimmington notched two wickets apiece, to guide the Jets to a comfortable win and within touching distance of the last eight.

Durham made a ponderous start to their innings, failing to find their feet until the sixth over when three boundaries came off Seekkuge Prasanna's first over. Tom Latham was the first man to fall when he top edged Luke Procter's first delivery to fine leg where Richard Gleeson took a good low catch.

The Steelbacks limited the home side's progress, and Graham Clark's attempt to cut loose resulted in the opener being bowled by Prasanna for 29. The arrival of Liam Trevaskis at the crease brought Durham to life as the left-hander blasted two straight sixes to provide impetus. His brisk innings took the pressure off Collingwood at the opposite end, allowing the veteran to find his rhythm.

The wickets of Trevaskis and Ryan Davies threatened to stymie the home side's late push for runs. However, Weighell found his touch immediately, scoring 20 off 14 deliveries. Collingwood was able to scamper through on tiring legs to reach his half-century off the final ball, getting over the line with the aid of a Ricardo Vasconcelos error.

Northamptonshire struggled in their reply as the Durham attack found their line and length. Rimmington made the breakthrough to dismiss Richard Levi for two off just 10 deliveries. Weighell then handed the home side control with two strikes in the following over. First he removed Ben Duckett as Trevaskis took a fine catch on the run on the legside boundary before Josh Cobb drove straight to Latham at mid-off.

Imran Tahir kept the pressure on the Steelbacks, pinning Vasconcelos lbw for six, leaving the visitors 31 for 4 in the eighth over. Steven Crook offered brief resistance with an innings of 21 before Tahir produced a full delivery to send him on his way.

Northants began to unravel quickly in the tail. Procter and Graham White were dismissed by Ryan Pringle and Rimmington respectively before Tahir wrapped up the victory with two wickets in his final over by removing Prasanna and Nathan Buck.