Notts Outlaws took another big stride towards the knock-out stages of the Vitality Blast with a 74-run victory over Leicestershire Foxes at Uptonsteel Grace Road, a fifth win in a row taking them top of the North Group.

Scotland international George Munsey anchored the Outlaws’ 209 for four with an unbeaten 75 off 52 balls with three sixes, before South African all-rounder George Linde ended it with a whirlwind 55 from 22, clearing the rope four times.

The Foxes were bowled out for 135 in reply, of which England’s Rehan Ahmed smashed 45 from 23 balls. All-rounder Ben Mike hit three sixes in his 24-ball 39 but it came too late to save his side as Pakistan pace bowler Mohammad Ali took three for 20.

The margin was a record for an Outlaws’ victory in this fixture and it was opener Munsey’s fourth half-century in his last five Blast innings, taking him past 400 runs in the competition.

Put in, the Outlaws plundered 65 powerplay runs, two thirds of them from the bat of Joe Clarke (42 from 22), perversely after Mike had opened with a maiden. Clarke picked up a maximum in Mike’s second over and another off spinner Liam Trevaskis but was bowled by a full delivery from Alex Green.

Rehan’s first over went for 19, slog-swept for two sixes by Munsey. Ben Green had Jack Haynes caught at mid-off as the Outlaws reached 100 for two at halfway.

Munsey picked up his third six as he went to 50 from 29 balls but the Outlaws looked to have work to do to post a competitive total on a good pitch. They were 137 for three in the 15th as Tom Moores picked out long-on for 21 off 20, another scalp for the impressive Alex Green (two for 27).

But then came Linde’s blitz, the South African going after Green and Trevaskis with two sixes off each, posting a 19-ball half-century before he was run out off the penultimate ball of the innings.

The Foxes thus faced a tougher chase than they might have envisaged a few minutes earlier, one that quickly became stiffer still as four wickets fell for 19 in the first four overs of their reply.

Mohammad Amir bowled Rishi Patel before overseas batter Nick Kelly bottom-edged into his stumps. Ali then took two in two as Ben Cox’s paddle-scoop looped straight to short fine leg and Australian all-rounder Ashton Turner was caught behind.

Rehan briefly made it look easy, slog-sweeping Olly Stone for six and smashing Ali over cover for another, but when Joey Evison hit Linde’s left-arm spin down the throat of long-on, the Foxes were 58 for five in the ninth.

Benny Howell ended Rehan’s attempt to keep his side in the chase, the legspinning opener failing to clear long-off, Trevaskis departing to another boundary catch before Stone returned to bowl Ben Green.

Mike’s late resistance was ended by Amir before Ali dismissed Alex Green to wrap up the points.