Notts bag points as Luke Wood highlights strong bowling display

Nottinghamshire Outlaws moved to second place in the Vitality Blast North Group table after another commanding victory over Birmingham Bears. Outlaws won a rain-affected match at Edgbaston by eight wickets on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method.

Last week, they beat Birmingham at Trent Bridge and there only ever looked like being one winner in the West Midlands. Nottinghamshire are now four points behind Lancashire Lightning in the North Group.

The Outlaws restricted Birmingham to just 119 for 9 in a sluggish innings that produced four fours and no sixes. And opener Joe Clarke led the way in reply with an unbeaten 47 as Nottinghamshire reached 86 for 2 after only 11 overs before rain forced the game to be abandoned.

The Bears had no answer to the Outlaws attack with pace bowler Luke Wood the pick with figures of 3 for 24 - including a wicket from the final ball of his first over of the night. That was Wood's second first-over scalp in successive games and set the tone for what was to come.

Spinners Matt Carter and Imad Wasim claimed two victims apiece in key spells as Birmingham struggled for runs.

Dom Sibley provided some signs of recovery for the Bears with a 23-ball innings of 25 - including four boundaries - before he fell to Imad when Carter caught him at short third man to leave them 35 for 2. And the introduction of Carter and Pakistani allrounder Imad had Birmingham tied in knots.

Even the threatening rain clouds could not put an end to the Bears' misery as their innings was only interrupted when weather forced the players off for a 12-minute break.

Only two Bears players made it into double figures with the Outlaws calling the shots. But Sam Hain flew the flag for Bears before cruelly falling one short of his half-century. Hain departed when Birmingham captain Jeetan Patel drove off the bowling of Harry Gurney and managed to deflect the ball on to the stumps. That saw Hain dismissed for 49 from 47 balls.

Wood finished as he had started and took the ninth wicket - Oliver Hannon-Dalby - for 1.

In reply, Outlaws cut loose in the third over with Clarke hitting 24 runs including two sixes and three fours.

Nottinghamshire raced to 48 without loss after four overs. But, with more rain falling, the Outlaws lost their first wicket when Hannon-Dalby had Alex Hales caught behind for 11 in his first bowling spell.

The Outlaws made quick progress towards their target despite losing a second wicket with the score on 80 when Ben Duckett was bowled by Patel for 16. But the rain became too much and the players were forced off before an Outlaws victory was confirmed.