To keep Gloucestershire’s hopes to make it to the quarterfinals alive, Miles Hammond goes massive

The high point of Gloucestershire’s seven-wicket victory over Notts Outlaws at Trent Bridge came from Miles Hammond’s outstanding 157. This victory kept Gloucestershire in the running for a spot in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup quarterfinals.

As Nottinghamshire was bowled out for 332 in 49, Outlaws captain Haseeb Hameed scored his second century of the campaign, sharing partnerships of 129 with Lyndon James (61) and 80 with Tom Moores (40).Left-arm spinner Graeme van Buuren took three wickets for forty runs in three overs, with the seven Gloucestershire bowlers sharing the wickets.

To win with 20 balls remaining, Gloucestershire relied on a 151-run opening partnership between Hammond (striking 22 fours and five sixes) and Cameron Bancroft (52), which was reinforced by Ollie Price’s undefeated 61.

Gloucestershire’s victory moves them up to third place in the Group B standings, one game shy of leaders Glamorgan and Warwickshire. Leicestershire, on the other hand, has a game against Gloucestershire at Bristol on Wednesday, and their final group match is against Glamorgan at home on Sunday.

Gloucestershire will have to make adjustments, too, since Price, Zaman Akhter, and Ajeet Singh Dale’s England Lions calls-ups for the Worcester match against Sri Lanka will not allow them to play in either the final group game or, should they qualify, the quarterfinal.

The Outlaws are theoretically still in the running for the third knockout position, but in order to advance, they would need to win both of their remaining games.

On 14, Hameed had one moment of luck when he missed a chance presented by an uncontrolled shot into the on side off Brett Hutton. However, in Hutton’s next over, he reacted with a six blasted over the short boundary on that side, and he cleared it twice more in one over off Rob Lord.

The off-spinning 19-year-old all-rounder Freddie McCann finally broke through when he turned a ball into Bancroft’s front pad from round the wicket for a leg-before.

After hitting 100 from 81 balls, Hammond proceeded to reach 153 from just 28 more deliveries, racking up two more sixes, one off Luke Fletcher and one off Lord, both over the short boundary.

Gloucestershire had a few nervous moments but ultimately were comfortably over the line thanks to Price’s unbroken 57-run partnership with Ben Charlesworth. Price was dismissed in the same over as that milestone, lbw to leg spinner Calvin Harrison on the sweep, with the pitch helping both Harrison and left-arm spinner Liam Patterson-White, who bowled James Bracey for 18.

Being put to bat first, the home team got off to a quick start, reaching 56 runs without losing in the ninth over.

After hitting six and four in the same over, Slater, who had made 164 at Guildford on Sunday, was caught behind for 38 after swiping at a wide delivery from Singh Dale. Opening partner McCann was similarly taken off guard by left-arm spinner Tom Smith at short fine leg. In the subsequent over, Jack Haynes edged past Akhter, leaving Notts at 73 for three.

James is one of the two Nottinghamshire players selected to play Sri Lanka the following week. His second half-century in the competition demonstrated his worth as he and Hameed rebuilt together, taking their time to settle before picking up speed together. James pulled Singh Dale for two consecutive sixes to achieve his half-century from 51 balls, while Hameed followed shortly after at 56.

After their 22 overs together ended with James brilliantly caught at backward point, Hameed and Tom Moores went on the rampage, scoring 80 runs in only nine overs to put 350+ in play.

But almost immediately after Hameed reached his century from 92 balls by ripping Dom Goodman for six over midwicket, he was out, beaten by Smith’s turn as he moved down the pitch.

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After he was out, the innings ended in chaos, with the last six wickets for Notts falling in the last seven overs, most of them caught in the deep. Despite this, 50 runs were scored after Liam Patterson-White smashed three sixes in his 10-ball 29 and Van Buuren claimed his three wickets in 12 balls.