Wednesday 20 July 2016 11:59, UK
Spinners Seekkuge Prasanna and Graeme White wreaked havoc as Northamptonshire Steelbacks romped to a 74-run T20 Blast win over Birmingham Bears at The County Ground.
Adam Rossington and Alex Wakely helped the hosts post a total of 200-5, but the Bears made a reasonable start to their chase, with Ian Bell (62) to the fore.
But their bid for victory was completely scuppered by Prasanna (3-26) and White (4-20 - including a hat-trick), and the Bears subsided from 86-2 to 126 all out as Northants surged to the top of the North Group and into the quarter-finals.
Birmingham captain Bell decided to field first but his bowlers were soon on the wrong end of some destructive batting as Richard Levi (31) and Rossington (85 off 51 balls) put on 103 from the first 11 overs.
There was some respite for the visitors when Jeetan Patel (2-28) removed Levi, before Aaron Thomason (2-24) had Josh Cobb caught behind for a golden duck.
Having smashed 11 boundaries and three sixes in a brilliant knock, Rossington also fell to Thomason, and it was 129-3 at the end of 14 overs.
But Steelbacks skipper Wakely made certain that the good platform was not wasted, hitting 53 not out off 23 balls to ensure an imposing target was set.
Bell was in great touch when Birmingham replied as he and Sam Hain (22) put on 60 inside the first seven overs.
But Rory Kleinveldt (3-14) then made a crucial intervention, dismissing Hain and, with the following ball, had Aussie Matthew Wade caught at slip for a duck.
Laurie Evans (13) helped Bell to add 26 but the spinners then took charge as Prasanna bowled Evans and had Rikki Clarke (7) stumped.
Things were becoming desperate now for Birmingham and their predicament got even worse when Bell was caught in the deep as he went for a big shot off White, having hit 11 boundaries in his 39-ball knock.
Rossington continued to thrive and he picked up two more stumpings in quick succession as Thomason (3) and Keith Barker (1) charged down the wicket.
Barker's dismissal completed a hat-trick for White, who had trapped Ateeq Javid (2) lbw with the last ball of his previous over and had Patel (1) caught by Richard Gleeson with the delivery in between.
But it was Kleinveldt who finished things off when Oliver Hannon-Dalby (5) holed out in the deep to bring the Bears innings to an end with 13 balls unused.
Northants are now level on points with Notts at the top of the North Group but lead on net run-rate, and both teams are through to the last eight in any case, while the Bears are third in the standings and still have a good chance of reaching the quarter-finals too.
