Super Samit can star at Trent Bridge against Northants

Nottinghamshire v Northamptonshire
Sky Sports Cricket, 2.30pm Saturday

The T20 Blast action continues apace with Nottinghamshire 8-11 to defeat defending champions Northamptonshire in a televised clash from Trent Bridge.

It's the second game in two days for both sides - Notts were at home to surprise packages Derbyshire on Friday night while Northants were aiming to end Leicestershire's perfect start to their Twenty20 campaign.

Nottinghamshire had enjoyed a superb start to the summer, topping Division Two of the County Championship and winning the One-Day Cup final against Surrey thanks to a stunning innings of 187 not out from opener Alex Hales.

However, they were brought down to earth in their first Blast match as Yorkshire smashed 227-5 to set up a comfortable win at Headingley, and the Outlaws also lost their second North Group game to Birmingham Bears.

That defeat was marred by an incident in which Luke Fletcher was struck on the head during his follow-through and doctors have advised the seam bowler not to play again this season.

And Notts were dealt another blow this week as Michael Lumb, a dynamic limited-overs opener who won the 2010 World Twenty20 with England, was forced to retire because of an ankle injury.

However, the Outlaws remain a dangerous proposition with overseas players Dan Christian (Australia) and Ish Sodhi (New Zealand) in the squad alongside Hales, Riki Wessels and Samit Patel.

The betting is liable to change after Friday's results but Patel looks worth backing to top-score for Notts.

The all-rounder has been batting like a dream this summer, with scores of 257 not out and 247 in the County Championship and an unbeaten 122 in the One-Day Cup semi-final at Essex last month.

He top-scored in the Blast game against Birmingham with 55 from only 33 deliveries and continued his fine form with a fluent 53 for the MCC against Afghanistan at Lord's.

Northants beat Notts by eight runs in last summer's Blast semi-final and they are 6-5 to claim the points at Trent Bridge.

The Steelbacks responded to an opening defeat to Derbyshire with wins over Durham and Birmingham and key batsman Ben Duckett should be full of confidence at the top of the order.

Duckett, discarded by England after the winter tours of Bangladesh and India, scored centuries in his last two Championship games and blasted 69 and 72 in his first two Twenty20 innings of the summer.

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