Akmal's 50 in vain for Foxes
Fri 20 May 2016
NatWest T20 Blast Matchday 1: Leicestershire Foxes v Northamptonshire Steelbacks
REPORT | Umar Akmal made an excellent unbeaten 52 but a brutal 20-ball half-century from opener Richard Levi in reply helped last year's finalists Northants Steelbacks make a winning start to their 2016 NatWest T20 Blast campaign against Leicestershire Foxes.
The Foxes still managed to take the game to the final over before Steelbacks’ overseas player Seekkuge Prasanna lifted the first ball he faced high over backward square for six to complete victory with a ball to spare.
Leicestershire made 178-5, including taking 23 off the last over, with Akmal, Mark Pettini (43 from 35 balls), Mark Cosgrove (27 off 17) and Tom Wells (21 off 14) playing well.
But the Steelbacks were extremely quick out of the blocks thanks in large to Levi (61 off 29) and although a stoppage for rain made their task slightly harder – a revised target of 164 off 18 overs meant a higher overall run rate was required – Ben Duckett made 37 not out to help steer the visitors home.
University of Leicester beat De Montfort University to claim the Varsity honours by a 25-run margin before NatWest T20 Blast got underway under the floodlights for the first time in front of a sizeable crowd at the Fischer County Ground.
The Foxes handed T20 debuts to Pettini and Neil Dexter while Kevin O’Brien and Akmal were returning for second spells at the club. Alex Wakely won the toss and invited the Foxes to bat first, so Pettini was immediately in the action.
Leicestershire’s white ball captain began the innings in some style alongside Cosgrove with both batsmen peppering the boundary early in the piece.
The left-hander used the pace to steer the game’s first maximum over third man as well as hitting a quartet of fours within the opening four overs while Pettini, who timed the ball particularly well through the off-side, had recorded seven boundaries before the powerplay ended with the score at 62 without loss.
Cosgrove’s dismissal for 27, leg before wicket to Azharullah, resulted in a marked loss of momentum, exacerbated by the introduction of Prasanna.
Although there was no real turn for the leg-spinner, the Leicestershire batsmen found him hard to get away, and Prasanna also picked up a wicket, Kevin O’Brien (14 off 11) trying to hit him over long-off and giving Josh Cobb a comfortable catch.
With Prasanna conceding only seven runs from his first two overs, Pettini tried to force the pace at the other end and was given leg before after missing an attempted sweep at the left-arm spin of Graeme White.
Niall O’Brien (13 off 11 balls) chopped a Rory Kleinveldt slower ball on to his middle stump, and Akmal was then dropped by Levi, who couldn’t hold on to a steepler.
Boundaries had been hard to come by after the powerplay but Akmal and Wells combined to good effect.
The Pakistan international made the most of his reprieve by posting a 50 off 32 balls with three fours and the same number of maximums, ensuring the innings ended with momentum.
All-rounder Wells signed a new contract at the club yesterday and again looked the part, striking two fours and a clean six over long-on.
Leicestershire’s total looked competitive but Levi’s fine innings made huge inroads for the visitors. The opener received effective support from fellow opener Adam Rossington (23 off 13) as Northants raced to 87-1 from just seven overs.
Cobb was lbw to Jigar Naik and Levi then steered Ben Raine straight to extra cover as the Foxes kept fighting but Duckett batted sensibly.
A stoppage for rain meant the Steelbacks required a further 53 from seven overs rather than 68 off nine and Duckett played a number of intelligent strokes, finding the boundary on five occasions.
The left-hander saw Steve Crook (12) run out by Taylor and lost Wakely (4) to a fine catch in the deep by the same fielder off Raine but kept his composure alongside Prasanna, who hit a six to seal the deal. The Steelbacks ended on 168-5 and claimed a five-wicket win by the D-L method.
The Foxes' next NatWest T20 Blast game is at Yorkshire Vikings this time next week and the team resumes Specsavers County Championship action at home to Worcestershire on Sunday.
Foxes: Pettini (c), Cosgrove, K O’Brien, Dexter, N O’Brien, Dexter, Wells, Taylor, Raine, McKay, Naik.
Leicestershire's bowling figures: McKay 4-0-33-0, Taylor 2-0-20-1, Raine 2.5-0-34-2, K O'Brien 3-0-19-0, Dexter 4-0-40-0, Naik 2-0-15-1.
* Thanks to Chris Roe at Neville Chadwick Photography for the photograph of Umar
