Northamptonshire vs Gloucestershire — Northamptonshire won by 7 wickets (with 22 balls remaining)

Sales’ Five-For and Lynn Blitz Power Northants to Dominant Win

Northamptonshire won by 7 wickets (with 22 balls remaining) in the 26th match of 112 in the T20 Blast 2026 at the County Ground, Northampton. James Sales‘s stunning five-wicket haul restricted Gloucestershire to 164/9 before Chris Lynn and Nathan McSweeney demolished the chase. Northamptonshire remain top of the standings with a perfect record – 1st (P3, W3, L0, 12 points) – while Gloucestershire slip to 5th (P3, W2, L1, 8 points).

First Innings: Gloucestershire 164/9 (20 overs)

Miles Hammond fell bowled for 8 at 27/1 in the fourth over, and D’Arcy Short followed – bowled for 23 off 16 (three fours, one six) at 41/2 in the sixth over. Both fell to Sales as Northants squeezed the powerplay.

Ben Charlesworth was the one batter who found real fluency. He scored 49 off 33 balls with three fours and three sixes at a strike rate of 148, anchoring the middle overs. But the collapse around him was relentless. Oliver Joseph Price made a patient 18 off 23 before being caught at 88/3 (11.1 overs), and Jack Taylor went for a duck two balls later at 88/4 – another double strike that ripped the heart out of the innings.

Kamran Dhariwal added 12 off 9 with a six before falling at 115/5, and Charlesworth was lbw next ball at 115/6 in the 15th over. James Bracey (8 off 5) went at 126/7, but Duan Jansen smashed 14 off just 6 balls with two sixes at a strike rate of 233 to inject some late impetus. Craig Miles (8 off 8) and Matthew Taylor (16 not out off 9 with three fours at 178 SR) pushed the total to a respectable 164/9. Marchant de Lange finished 1 not out.

Sales was the story – 4-0-21-5 at an economy of 5.25. A proper five-for in T20 cricket. David Willey supported well with 4-0-34-2, George Scrimshaw took 4-0-38-1, and Ben Sanderson chipped in with 3-0-26-1. Louis Kimber (2-0-13-0) and Calvin Harrison (3-0-29-0) went wicketless.

Second Innings: Northamptonshire 166/3 (16.2 overs)

Ricardo Vasconcelos hit three fours in his 14 off 13 before being caught at 39/1, but that just brought Lynn and McSweeney together for the partnership that destroyed the chase.

Chris Lynn was brutal. 69 off 36 balls – six fours and five sixes at a strike rate of 192. He treated every Gloucestershire bowler with equal disdain, clearing the ropes at will. Nathan McSweeney matched him with a composed 53 off 36 balls – four fours and two sixes at 147 SR. Together they put on 91 for the second wicket to make the chase a formality.

Lynn fell caught at 130/2 (12.4 overs) and McSweeney was bowled at 156/3 (15.3 overs), but the game was already won. David Willey finished things off with 18 not out off 11 balls (three fours at 164 SR), and Justin Broad hit 6 not out off 3 balls including a four to complete a dominant chase with 22 balls to spare.

Gloucestershire’s bowlers had nowhere to hide. Oliver Joseph Price was the only one to take wickets – 4-0-41-2 – but at over 10 an over. Craig Miles took 4-0-34-1. Duan Jansen (3-0-20-0) was the most economical but wicketless. Marchant de Lange went for 16 off his only over, Matthew Taylor conceded 23 from two, Jack Taylor went for 18 off 1.2 overs, and D’Arcy Short leaked 13 from his one over.

Statz MVP: James Sales (Northamptonshire)

An MI Rating of 195.77 tells the story. Five wickets for 21 runs in a T20 is an extraordinary achievement, and the Statz rating system calculates impact based on match context. Sales ripped through a strong Gloucestershire top order and set up the dominant chase. No official Man of the Match was awarded, but there was only one candidate.

Top 5 Statz Ratings

Turning Point

Jack Taylor caught for 0 at 88/4 in over 11.3 – just two balls after Price had fallen at 88/3. That double strike in the space of two deliveries broke the Gloucestershire middle order and killed any momentum Charlesworth was trying to build. From 88/4, the innings never recovered its rhythm despite Charlesworth’s best efforts.

Match Context

Match 26 of 112 in the T20 Blast 2026. Northamptonshire are the form team – three wins from three, 12 points, sitting top of the North Group. This was a statement performance, chasing down 165 with almost four overs to spare. Gloucestershire drop to 5th (P3, W2, L1, 8 points) after their first defeat of the campaign. The gap at the top is already forming, and Sales and Lynn are the reason why.

Full scorecard on Statz