This is Leicestershire --The smiles returned to Leicestershire Foxes supporters' faces at Grace Road last night. And why not?
They had just seen their side pick up a crucial Friends Life T20 victory over previously unbeaten Nottinghamshire Outlaws to keep alive their hopes of a place in the quarter-finals.
It was a comprehensive seven-wicket victory, too, as the Foxes chased down a target of 159.
At one point, the run-chase appeared as though it might have been a good deal more exacting after the Outlaws made a rapid start having been put into bat on a beautiful evening.
But Leicestershire's bowlers stuck to their guns and Shakib Al Hasan and Shiv Thakor ensured, over the second half of the innings, that Notts were frustrated.
Having raced out of the blocks the visitors had 58 on the board at the end of six overs of powerplay.
But Shakib's figures of 1-21, backed by Thakor's return of 3-30, meant that their side were well and truly in the game at the halfway stage.
They took a step backwards when Greg Smith fell in the first over to Luke Fletcher but skipper Josh Cobb saw the job through – and this time Shakib also joined him at the party with the bat.
The Foxes, who it has to be said benefited from some dubious Nottinghamshire fielding as four potential catches hit the deck, built around Cobb's unbeaten 67, which from 52 balls was conservative in his terms.
However, at the other end after a brisk 26 from Joe Burns and a breezy 14 from Niall O'Brien, Shakib really turned up the heat on the Nottinghamshire attack.
It was thrilling, breathtaking stuff from the Bangladeshi superstar.
Prior to his assault on the Outlaws, he had enjoyed little success with the bat for Leicestershire, often the victim of poor shot selection and, on occasions, of some brilliant work in the field.
But on this occasion he was devastating and the bulk of his work was right out of the middle of the bat.
By the close, he had battered 43 from just 21 deliveries, dominating an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 67 with his captain.
He really lifted the pace in the 13th over when he showed, against the spin of Graham White, that he was determined to see his side over the line. Shakib blasted two immense sixes as the Foxes raced from 100-3 to 114-3 and brought the finishing line into sight.
He then went close to repeating the dose with a brace of boundaries and a six that threatened to fuse the electronic scoreboard as slow left-armer Samit Patel came under heavy fire.
In all, 17 runs came from that over and, at 141-3 with four overs to go, Leicestershire were frankly as good as home.
It was fitting that the winning runs should come from Cobb as he drilled Ian Butler for four in the 18th over to leave the bulk of a large crowd at Grace Road thirsting for more T20 action, which few would have thought the likely scenario after the disappointment of Tuesday night's display against the Yorkshire Vikings.
The one major disappointment on the night for Leicestershire was the shoulder injury suffered in the field by off-spinner Jigar Naik, who looks set for a six-week spell on the sidelines. Reported by This is 11 hours ago.