Super Sales sets up big Blast win against Gloucestershire as Steelbacks make it three out of three

The 23-year-old produced the third best figures for the Steelbacks in the competition’s history, taking five for 21 from his four overs as the visitors were restricted to 164 for nine.

Northants then cruised to victory at 166 for three with more than three overs to spare to make it three wins out of three in the Central & West Group.

Sales, whose previous best figures in T20 cricket were the three for 28 he picked up against Worcestershire last Sunday, bowled straight and fast to shine as the pick of the Northants bowlers, and his performance has only previously been bettered by Ben Sanderson (6-8) and Andrew Hall (6-21).

His effort paved the way for Australian pair Chris Lynn and Nathan McSweeney to power the Steelbacks to victory with the bat.

Lynn hammered six fours and five sixes in his 69 from 36 balls, while McSweeney was dismissed just nine runs short of victory for a high-quality 53 from 36 balls, including four fours and two sixes.

Taking on a Gloucestershire side that had also won their first two games, the Steelbacks made one change to the team that hammered Worcestershire by 100 runs last Sunday, with McSweeney replacing the out-of-sorts Saif Zaib.

David Willey won the toss and opted to bowl, and after the visitors made a solid start, Sales made the early breakthrough with his first ball of the match, clean bowling the dangerous Miles Hammond in the fourth over to leave Gloucestershire 27 for one.

Australian D’Arcy Short was looking in good nick as he eased to 23 from 15 balls, but he was Sales’ next victim, falling to penultimate ball of the six-over powerplay. Just like Hammond he was cleaned up by a beauty of a delivery that just moved away from the left-hander.

Gloucestershire, who had been 27 without loss from three, finished the powerplay on 42 for two.

Ollie Price and Ben Charlesworth took their side to 88 for two after 11 overs, with Charlesworth producing successive big sixes off George Scrimshaw, but then it was that man Sales who worked his magic again.

Price tried to pull the first ball of the 12th but didn’t get hold it at all and Ricardo Vasconcelos took a good tumbling catch, diving forward at mid-wicket.

That brought Jack Taylor to the crease and his stay was very brief, as he punched a short and wide delivery straight to Justin Broad in the covers to leave the visitors 88 for four.

Kamran Dhariwal and Charlesworth set about getting their team to a competitive target and put on 27 in little over three overs, but then Dhariwal perished going for a big hit off Willey and was caught on boundary by Calvin Harrison.

That was 115 for five, and a ball later it was 115 for six as Charlesworth, who made 49 from 33 balls, was trapped in front by another fast and straight delivery from Sales who picked up his fifth wicket of the night.

Willey soon trapped James Bracey in front for eight as the visitors slide to 125 for seven in the 17th over, but they kept coming up with the odd big hit to keep the scoreboard ticking over, Duan Jansen hitting two of his first five balls for six.

But the South African’s luck ran out when he skied Scrimshaw to Willey to go for 14 and leave his side 142 for eight with 13 balls remaining.

Craig Miles picked out Louis Kimber on the boundary off Sanderson to reduce the visitors to 150 for nine going into the final over which turned out to be an excellent one for Matt Taylor, who hit three fours to lift his side to a testing 164 for nine.

The Steelbacks had coasted to 39 without loss in reply when Vasconcelos went for a needless reverse pull of the final ball of the fourth over and picked out Charlesworth at short third man off the bowling of Price for 14.

McSweeney came to the crease and was a man in a hurry as he and Lynn, who was dropped on the boundary by Short on 23, reached the end of the powerplay with Steelbacks on 59 for one.

The Australian pair were in ruthless form, bringing up the 100 in he 10th over, with Lynn also bringing up his 50 from just 27 balls.

No matter the bowler, the runs kept coming, with Lynn strong-arming his big hits and McSweeney keeping things more classical.

The partnership was eventually broken in the 13th over as Lynn departed after going for one big six too many, but at 130 for two and just 35 needed to win from seven overs the job was all but done.

McSweeney eventually went to make it 156 for three, bowled by spinner Price, but the County coasted home with 3.4 overs to spare with skipper Willey and vice-captain Broad at the crease.

Teams

Steelbacks: Ricardo Vasconcelos, Chris Lynn, David Willey (c), Justin Broad, Louis Kimber, Nathan McSweeney, Calvin Harrison, Lewis McManus (wk), James Sales, Ben Sanderson, George Scrimshaw

Gloucestershire: Miles Hammond, D'Arcy Short, Ollie Price, Ben Charlesworth, Jack Taylor (c), James Bracey (wk), Kamran Dhariwal, Duan Jansen, Marchant de Lange, Matt Taylor, Craig Miles