Injury blow mars Birmingham Bears' win
A shocking Injury to Notts Outlaws bowler Luke Fletcher overshadowed their six-wicket NatWest T20 Blast defeat to Birmingham Bears at Edgbaston.
The fast bowler was taken to hospital in an ambulance after being struck on the head early in Birmingham’s reply to the Outlaws’ 158-6 - he's since been discharged after being kept overnight as a precaution.
After being put in, Notts recovered from 28-3 thanks principally to 55 from Samit Patel and Steven Mullaney’s 46.
Birmingham started strongly as Ian Bell and Sam Hain took 30 from three overs before the game was halted in light of Fletcher’s injury. After the resumption, Hain sliced Harry Gurney to point and William Porterfield (20) ran himself out before Bell (47) lifted a reverse-sweep to short third man. Birmingham needed 40 from the last five overs and Grant Elliott and Rikki Clarke took 15 off the first of them.
Five from the last over, bowled by Dan Christian, came down to one off the last ball and Colin De Grandhomme and Rikki Clarke scrambled home.
