Steelbacks captain Wakely beams with pride

Northamptonshire Steelbacks became NatWest T20 Blast champions for a second time in four years after first beating Notts Outlaws and then overcoming Durham Jets in an action-packed Finals Day.

While the other three teams involved in Finals Day could call on International stars, including England’s Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes and West Indies T20 superstar Andre Russell, the Steelbacks' unit proved too tough a nut to crack.

Captain Alex Wakely said: “I am so proud of every single one of these lads. We have played as a tight team all season and we play for each other. I love this club to bits and I reckon we have one of the best changing room bonds in the country.”

The Northants squad might be the smallest on the county circuit but that didn't stop the team believing they could capture the Blast crown once more.

Wakely added: “We believed in our ability and we believed in each other to deliver. Special thanks has to go to the fans. Their support has been so instrumental in pushing us over the line in many of our matches but to hear that support at Edgbaston today was incredible and we owe them a big thank you.”

In the day’s first semi-final, Northants posted 161 for eight thanks largely to a batting masterclass from 21-year-old England prospect Ben Duckett. His career-best T20 score of 84 propelled the Steelbacks to a defendable total, before the bowlers did their bit to restrict the Outlaws to 153 - eight runs short - and book a place in the final.

Durham Jets were the Steelbacks’ surprise opponents in the final, after they defeated the much-fancied Yorkshire Vikings by seven runs. With a team bolstered by the return of Ben Stokes and Mark Wood, who took four wickets while bowling serious pace in the semi-final, the Jets were favourites to lift the trophy - but the Steelbacks had other plans. 

After winning the toss and batting first, it looked like Durham were on their way to a below-par total but opener Keaton Jennings stood firm while the rest of the batting order collapsed. Jennings posted a Finals Day top score of 88 before Josh Cobb took his fourth catch of the day to see off the left-hander. 

Chasing 154 to win the competition, the Steelbacks found themselves floundering at nine for three after just 2.2 overs. They needed someone to take the game by the scruff of the neck and lead the fightback: enter Josh Cobb.

Under the Birmingham lights, Cobb provided the raucous crowd with some of the of the biggest hits of the day - including one absolute monster that almost made its way out of the ground. His 80 off 48 balls, complemented by a captain’s knock of 43 off 39 from Wakely, steered the Steelbacks to their target with five balls to spare. 

Cue the celebrations…

Steelbacks’ seamer Ben Sanderson, who took three wickets in the final, said: “It feels awesome to win it. No words can describe it. What a day! Cobby was absolutely outstanding: he was calm all the way through and hit some massive sixes. Our motto is big bellies, big sixes and you can’t argue with that at the minute!” 

While Northants’ wicketkeeper Adam Rossington added: “We’ve been looking forward to this all year and to finally get over the line is a brilliant feeling. We lost early wickets but Cobby played a fantastic knock and Wakely supported him brilliantly. We’ve played some great cricket this year and I think we deserve it. Our support has been fantastic - not just today but all year.”