KIERON Pollard produced a sensational display of hitting to inspire Southern Brave to a thrilling two-wicket win over Trent Rockets at Utilita Bowl and move his side level on points with Oval Invincibles at the top of the table.

Pollard had struggled his way to 6 from 14 balls in a contest which appeared to be slipping away from the hosts before he dispatched Rashid Khan for five consecutive sixes in one set. 

The former Windies captain was run out after making 45 from 23 balls but Chris Jordan held his nerve, hitting the penultimate delivery of the match for four to see Brave home. 

Pollard, the Meerkat Match Hero, said: “I had to make a play at some point.

"I was really slow to start but I didn’t think it was a pitch where you could just come in and hit the ball, so I had to really try and calculate and pick my bowler.

“I’ve played against Rash a lot and he’s got me out a lot of times so I had to see what was happening but I knew the sort of line and length he was going to bowl.

"If he bowled full I was going to back my strength which is hitting straight and he bowled three fuller balls and it was right in my arc.

"I couldn’t stop at that point in time, I had to get maximum. Rash is a world-class bowler but this was just one of the days where I took victory.”

Brave had been cruising at 43-0 in pursuit of 127 but the innings stalled after Alex Davies nicked behind off Sam Cook for a sprightly 28 and Andre Fletcher was cleaned up by a Rashid googly. 

John Turner, who had to be removed from the attack in his previous match after bowling successive beamers, produced a brilliant spell of fast bowling, taking 3-24 including the prize scalp of James Vince for 28, before Pollard turned the match on its head. 

Earlier, Tom Banton was fast out of the traps for the Rockets, dispatching Akeal Hosein for three fours and a six in the first 10 deliveries. Adam Lyth hit a brace of boundaries in Tymal Mills’ opening over but Banton (30 from 17) holed out to Pollard at long-on in Danny Briggs’ opening set and the Rockets stuttered. 

Lyth (16) was caught in the deep off Hosein, Briggs had Alex Hales (15) stumped and Jofra Archer dismissed Joe Root (16) with a leg-cutter which took a thick outside edge and flew to Davies, who snaffled a screamer. 

Mills’ third set proved expensive, leaking three boundaries as Rovman Powell (16) and Lewis Gregory (19) threatened to tee-off, but Jordan dismissed the Windies T20 skipper before Archer, who finished with 2-18, accounted for Gregory with a well-executed slower ball. 

The Rockets could only manage 10 runs from the final 10 deliveries to finish on 126-8, Jordan dismissing Rashid and Luke Wood to finish with 3-22 and cap a superb bowling performance from the hosts.