TR vs SB, Review | Tom Banton and Tom Moores crucial knocks help Trent Rockets dominate in tight chase

‌Trent Rockets won the toss and elected to field first, and started well with skipper David Willey and Callum Parkinson showcasing proper discipline and consistency with the new cherry. Willey also managed to get the important wicket of James Vince with a beautiful away swinger, which crashed into the middle and off stump. Southern Brave were in a spot of bother in the powerplay, being restricted to 18/1 in the first 25 balls by the hosts. Though scoring runs seemed tough in the middle, Jason Roy and Leus du Plooy formed a decent second-wicket partnership, with du Plooy looking good at the crease and Roy playing the anchor role. Though the two batters did manage to improve the situation a bit, the net run rate was still on the slower side, with the score reading 63/1 after 50 balls. The 53-run stand was finally broken by Marcus Stoinis, who knocked over Roy, who was struggling at the crease on 23 off 23 deliveries.  Brave's struggles did not end there as Parkinson returned in his final over to dismiss du Plooy, whose effective knock of 55 off 34 deliveries came after being caught at square leg while attempting to slog the left-arm spinner. With two new batters at the crease, the Southern franchise's score was 101/3 after 75 balls. It seemed like the Rockets were going to restrict the visitors to a below-par score until the cameos from Michael Bracewell (28 off 16) and James Cole (25* off 18) made sure that another 39 runs came in the next 25 balls as Brave ended the first innings with a score of 140/4.

The Rockets started their power play cautiously, and though they might have lost an early wicket of Joe Root, Tom Banton played some attractive and explosive shots towards the end of the 25 balls to take the score to 41/1 after 25 balls. Banton continued to score runs from one end but was running out of partners at the other end, with Rehan Ahmed being a victim of a stunning catch by Roy, and Max Holden top-edged a sweep shot of Danny Briggs to give a simple catch to Jofra Archer at short third man. The home team were suddenly in a spot of bother with Willey also lobbing a simple catch to Vince at covers off Bracewell, putting them in a tough spot at 72/4 after 50 balls. While it seemed like Brave had finally come back into the match, Banton was joined by Tom Moores, who formed a crucial partnership with the opening batter. The 28-year-old Sussex-born took the pressure off Banton, who decided to take his time at the crease while Moores played the big shots at the other end. This partnership ensured that the Rockets were in a comfortable position to chase down the target, with the score at 116/4 after 75 balls, needing to score 25 runs of a run-a-ball. The two batters put on 76 runs for the fifth wicket before being dismissed at the backend of the innings. However, the match was already in the grasp with the Rockets needing only five runs off the last 10 deliveries. In the end, all it took was a huge six over long-on by Marcus Stoinis to finish the game and ensure a four-wicket win for the Rockets.

The player of the match was Tom Moores, who played a crucial knock of 55 off 34 deliveries while rescuing the Rockets from a tough position.