T20 Blast: Northants win as Bears suffer third straight defeat

Northants recorded their first win in seven T20 Blast matches as they dented Birmingham Bears' dwindling hopes of a home quarter-final.

After Kyle Coetzer's 40, Northants slumped to 90-7, only for some spectacular hitting from Graeme White, who made 34 off 12 balls, to carry them to a total of 139-8.

Shoaib Malik kept the Bears in it with 47 until he was seventh out on 101.

Jeetan Patel hit 21 but the Bears could make only 124-9 to lose by 15 runs.

Northants had loan signing Adam Rossington making his debut following his move from Middlesex earlier in the day.

He provided a brief glimpse of his ability before becoming off spinner Jeetan Patel's first wicket - his 100th scalp in Twenty20 cricket.

The New Zealand international picked up two more to take 3-19 as he applied the brake in the middle overs.

The Bears, who left out recovering England batsman Jonathan Trott, have failed to get out of their Twenty20 group for the past two summers.

Although they are four points adrift of the top-two finish needed to secure a home tie in the last eight, Dougie Brown's side are only a point behind fourth-placed Yorkshire.

They now host second-placed Lancashire at Edgbaston on Friday night.

Northants stay seventh, now only a point behind the Bears ahead of Friday's trip to Grace Road to face Leicestershire.