The North Group clash in the ongoing T20 Blast between Nottinghamshire and Lancashire proved to be quite a memorable game for 17-year-old Farhan Ahmed. The two sides locked horns at the Trent Bridge, Nottingham, on July 18, and the clash saw Lancashire come in to bat first after winning the toss.
In the first innings, Lancashire were limited to a score of 126 runs, and it was all thanks to the brilliance of Farhan Ahmed. Bowling four overs, Ahmed took five wickets and conceded just 25 runs in the process. At just 17 years of age, Farnhan etched his name in the history books after taking a brilliant hat trick as well.
Dismissing Luke Wood, Tom Aspinwall, and Mitchell Stanley, Ahmed completed his hat-trick and limited the opponents to just 126. It is worth noting that Farhan is the younger brother of England spinner Rehan Ahmed, and he also played in the 2024 U19 World Cup. He also became the very first player to take a hat-trick for Nottinghamshire in T20 cricket.
Nottinghamshire’s middle order propelled them to victory
Speaking of the game between Nottinghamshire and Lancashire, alongside Farhan Ahmed’s five-wicket haul, Matthew Montgomery and Liam Patterson-White took two wickets each as well. Aiming to chase down the target, Nottinghamshire got off to a shaky start as openers Joe Clarke and Sam Seecharan departed on five and one run, respectively.
Furthermore, things went from bad to worse after Jack Haynes and Matthew Montgomery departed after scoring four runs each as well. After the subpar start to the run chase, Tom Moores came out to bat and put in a good showing, amassing 75 runs in 42 deliveries. His knock helped Nottinghamshire win the game as they chased down the target in 15.2 overs, winning the game by four wickets.
Luke Wood and Tom Hartley were the highest wicket-takers in the second innings with two wickets each to their names. Luke Wells took one wicket as well, but it was not enough for Lancashire in the end.