After Northants consolidated their position at the top of the North Group table by disposing of their close rivals the Birmingham Bears by 8 wickets with 21 balls to spare, skipper Alex Wakely shared his delight at his side’s success despite their many injuries.
“We expected a tough game tonight so we were pleased with what turned out to be such an easy win.
“Last week was the first time we really got it all together and tonight we carried it on.
“Early wickets in T20 are key and that’s what our bowlers delivered. I thought, too, that we fielded really well. Richard Levy’s diving catch at slip to get rid of Laurie Evans brought back memories of Dwayne Leverock – not that he likes the comparison.
“We just need to manage our injuries. Josh Cobb is struggling with his knee. He probably won’t play four-day cricket again this season and will need an operation at the end of the season. We are taking it match by match with his fitness.
“Bowling first when we won the toss was an easy decision. I was thinking about bowling even before we saw the pitch. It obviously worked out really well for us with the early wickets.
“The pitch was the same one that the recent ODI was played on. It was good for batting but not quite as good as we thought – it was a bit sticky and slow. It was probably a 150-160 pitch but the early wickets changed all that.
“We are now within a win or so of qualifying for the quarter finals, so that’s a great position to be in. Our aim is to get back here for Finals Day.
“Even tonight, with the rain, the atmosphere was great. We regard this as our home from home. We have our places in the dressing room and feel very comfortable here.”
