A spectacular late cameo of 24 not out from eight deliveries from captain Dan Christian ultimately proved the difference as Notts Outlaws held on to beat Birmingham Bears by 22 runs to win the English T20 Blast for the first time at Edgbaston on Saturday.
After a shaky start batting first, Samit Patel (64 not out) and Brendan Taylor (65) staged a strong recovery, before Christian finished off the innings in style to power Notts to a match-winning total of 4-190.
The Australian, who reached the IPL final this year with Rising Pune Supergiants and is set to be part of Australia’s upcoming T20I campaign in India, had also played a similarly crucial late hand in Notts’ 23-run semi-final win over Hampshire earlier in the day, hammering three sixes in a 12-ball 24.
Birmingham, playing in front of a raucous crowd at their home ground of Edgbaston, also lost early wickets, and despite a brilliant 72 from young batsman Sam Hain, ultimately fell well short.
Former England international Twenty20 bowler Harry Gurney was the hero for Notts with the ball, taking 4-17 from his four overs with a mix of slower balls and cutters.
Hain put on 55 with big-hitting New Zealander Colin de Grandhomme, but Gurney dismissed them both to leave the lower order with too much to do.
Having also won the One-Day Cup final in July, Notts are the first side to complete England’s limited-overs double since Hampshire in 2012.
Notts had been in big trouble when England seam bowler Chris Woakes reduced them to 3-30, taking the big wickets of his international teammate Alex Hales, Riki Wessels and Tom Moores.
But Zimbabwean batsman Taylor teamed up with England allrounder Patel to compile a crucial fourth-wicket partnership of 132.
Taylor, who retired from international cricket to forge a county career, holed out off De Grandhomme in the penultimate over, but Australian Dan Christian pummelled the final four balls of the innings for 20 runs – a stunning late surge that proved decisive in taking the target beyond Warwickshire’s batsmen.
The unlucky bowler was Bears paceman Oli Stone, who bowled four wicketless overs for 50 runs, having starred with 3-29 in the 11-run semi-final win over Glamorgan earlier in the day.
Notts had seen off Hampshire by 23 runs in the second semi, with left-armer Gurney and Steven Mullaney both taking three wickets.
UK T20 domestic final
Nottinghamshire 4-190 (Taylor 65, Patel 64 no, Christian 24no; Woakes 3-29) beat Warwickshire 8-168 (S Hain 72; H Gurney 4-17) by 22 runs
Semi-finals
Warwickshire 9 – 175 (E Pollock 50) beat Glamorgan 164 (Rudolph 65; O Stone 3-29, C Woakes 3-40) by 11 runs
Nottinghamshire 7 – 169 (Wessels 48; Wood 2-17) beat Hampshire 146 (Vince 56; Gurney 3-19, Mullaney 3-22) by 23 runs
