Birmingham Bears 198 for 2 (Mousley 60, Moeen 59, Hain 52) triumphed over Derbyshire 154 (Briggs 3-24) by 44 runs.
Birmingham Bears clinched a home quarter-final spot in the Vitality Blast with a commanding 44-run victory over Derbyshire Falcons at Edgbaston. The Bears posted an imposing total of 198 for 2, powered by robust half-centuries from Dan Mousley, Sam Hain, and Moeen Ali.
Starting modestly with 21 runs from the first four overs, the Bears accelerated to a formidable total, leaving the Falcons trailing at 154 all out in 19.2 overs. No Derbyshire batsman surpassed 30 runs as spinners Danny Briggs and Jake Lintott dismantled both the top and middle orders, bringing their combined T20 wicket tally to 379.
The Bears now look forward to a home tie in the last eight, aiming to overcome the quarter-final stage jinx that has troubled them for the past three seasons. Despite this setback, the Falcons still have a shot at qualification but must win their remaining two games, starting with Worcester next Thursday.
After being put in to bat, the Bears had a slow start, managing just seven runs from the first 15 balls. Mohammad Amir's exceptional delivery had Alex Davies caught behind, and the Bears ended the powerplay at 41 for 1, hitting only four fours.
Moeen Ali then shifted gears, transforming his cautious 25 from 23 balls into a rapid 50, smashing four sixes in five balls off Samit Patel and Alex Thomson. Though Pat Brown's clever slower ball saw Moeen gloving behind, the momentum was carried forward by Mousley and Hain, who formed an unbroken third-wicket partnership of 111 in 62 balls.
Mousley reached his eighth T20 half-century, and second in consecutive games, from 39 balls. Hain followed suit with his 33rd T20 half-century from 29 balls, which included a stunning six over extra cover off Amir.
Derbyshire began their chase strongly, reaching 60 for 1 in the powerplay with only Luis Reece’s dismissal, who was caught by George Garton at mid-on. However, the scoreboard pressure soon took its toll. David Lloyd hit a six off his first ball but was bowled by Briggs on his first delivery. Lintott also struck in his first over when Aneurin Donald was caught by Mousley at the boundary.
Wayne Madsen and Patel, both capable of handling big chases, fell within four balls of each other, signalling the end of Derbyshire's challenge. Patel hit three sixes in his 28-run innings before slicing Lintott to extra cover, where Hain made the catch. Hain also caught Madsen's drive off Briggs. The dangerous Ross Whiteley fell lbw to Briggs while attempting a slog-sweep, and the Falcons' hopes dwindled further as they fell behind the required rate, ensuring the match would not make tomorrow's headlines.