Watch Hales help Notts to victory
Notts Outlaws wrapped up an impressivesix-wicket defeat of Yorkshire Vikings at Headingley with four balls remaining to deny the hosts a place in the quarter-finals of the NatWest T20 Blast.
The Outlaws' ninth win in the North Group sealed second place behind Lancashire Lightning - and they will now take on Hampshire at Trent Bridge on August 2 for a Finals' Day place.
Man-of-the match Alex Hales laid the foundation for the Outlaws' reply to Yorkshire's imposing 200 for five with a well-struck 67.
However, it was captain James Taylor's late assault on Ryan Sidebottom in the 19th over that really knocked the stuffing out of the home side as he thrashed three consecutive fours and a six.
Yorkshire's demise came as a bitter blow to the majority in the 8,662 crowd who felt certain their side would progress after Australian Aaron Finch signed off with a blistering 89 from 46 balls, including seven sixes and four fours.
Finch gone! Headingley stands to the departing Australian, who has been caught behind down leg off Franklin for 89 off 46. 132-3 in 14th.
— Yorkshire CCC (@Yorkshireccc) July 25, 2014
Finch, who has to report to an Australian training camp by August 3, delighted the fans with some ferocious hitting after Yorkshire won the toss and batted first on a good batting pitch.
It was the powerful right-hander's best T20 knock for Yorkshire, narrowly beating his stunning 88 from 55 balls in the Roses clash at Old Trafford.
Finch appeared all set for a chanceless century until he flicked at a leg-side delivery from James Franklin and was brilliantly caught by wicketkeeper Chris Read diving far to his left.
The opening batsman signalled his intentions from the start by hammering Ajmal Shahzad's first thee balls for a six and two fours, but it was after Kane Williamson and Alex Lees both departed lbw to Jake Ball that he really began to build up his score in a stand of 81 in eight overs alongside Jonny Bairstow.
He lost the ball with an on-drive for six against Samit Patel and as soon as another ball came into play he blasted it over the rope at long off, just above Franklin's head.
After Finch had gone, Bairstow continued to make batting look easy and it was the last ball of the innings before he was out, caught on the boundary edge by Steven Mullaney for 60 from 34 deliveries with five fours and a six.
Nottinghamshire never flinched in going for their 201 target and each of their six batsmen to reach the crease made important contributions.
Mullaney was first out for 32, caught on the boundary by Lees off Tim Bresnan, but Hales and Riki Wessels then cracked 70 in eight overs before Lees pouched another to send back Wessels, this time off Azeem Rafiq.
When Hales was dismissed by Bresnan, caught at deep midwicket by Rafiq, his runs coming off 40 balls with six fours and three sixes, Nottinghamshire were 131 for three and the departure of Patel for 26 left them on 162 for four in 17.1 overs.
Blimey. James Taylor has just hit 4-4-4-6, the maximum leaving the ground. Outlaws require six from the last over #CricketHasLanded
— Nottinghamshire CCC (@TrentBridge) July 25, 2014
But Taylor and Franklin went about their task so furiously that the last 38 runs came from 11 deliveries, Taylor's unbeaten 36 coming off 14 balls with six fours and a six and Franklin's 19 not out including three sixes and a single.
Finch said: "I thought that we had enough runs on that wicket but all credit to Notts for the way they pressed throughout their innings.
"They were never really a long way behind the rate. In a situation like that, it just takes one or two big overs to change it and they got them. When you've got wickets in hand you can make up a lot of ground and they definitely did that.
"We didn't field particularly well. We probably leaked 20 runs and a couple of catches went down. Nobody means to do that.
"It was a disappointing loss. I thought I struck them quite well but it was bitter-sweet not to get a victory. It was pretty hollow."
See Finch sign off with 89 in a losing cause