Charli Knott starred with bat and ball as The Blaze cruised past Essex to secure a bonus-point nine-wicket Vitality Blast win at Chelmsford with 4.1 overs to spare.

Australian all-rounder Knott took 2/24, teaming up with fellow spinner Lucy Higham, who led the visiting attack with 3-24, to restrict the home side to 136-9 from their 20 overs.

She then contributed an unbeaten 54 from 35, sharing an unbroken partnership of 95 from 64 with captain Marie Kelly, who posted 55 not out from 44.

The visitors established control early on and captured three wickets inside the first four overs, including those of the experienced pair Lissy Macleod and Jo Gardner.

Liberty Heap, who top-scored with 46, and Anneke Bosch, who added 21 from 16, led a mini-recovery to help the hosts, who were stricken at 20-3, past fifty in eight overs.

However, the latter was then trapped in front by a slower delivery from Georgia Elwiss, who joined Knott in claiming a brace as she returned 2/30.

Higham then tempted Heap with a flighted delivery when she was just one stroke away from fifty, and the reward followed as she holed out to Josie Groves at long-on.

She was soon to be followed by debutant Amelie Bishop and Ariana Dowse in consecutive overs as The Blaze ruthlessly applied pressure at the back end of the innings.

Two more wickets from successive balls stifled Essex during the final over, including Knott’s smart fielding off her own bowling to run out Sophie Munro at the non-striker’s end.

Chasing a modest 137, the visiting openers got off to a good start, with Tammy Beaumont thumping back-to-back fours off Eva Gray in the powerplay on her way to 21.

Kelly also gathered pace, hitting Kate Coppack for two fours in three balls and the pair had trimmed off almost a third of the target before Esmae MacGregor bowled Beaumont.

However, that was to be the only joy for Essex from thereon as Knott maintained The Blaze’s impetus, crashing Gray and Coppack to the rope to hoist the total to 76-1 after ten overs.

In no mood to hang around further, she then slammed MacGregor for successive fours before hoisting Bosch over midwicket for six as a combined 29 came off the 13th and 14th overs.

Skipper Kelly was first to pass 50 from 42 balls, drilling Bosch to the cover fence, though Knott was the faster to the landmark by eight deliveries when she did so three balls later.

Knott then punched Munro for another boundary, her eighth of the innings, to seal victory and give The Blaze a third consecutive Blast win with 25 balls unused.