Bears maintain FCG record

NatWest T20 Blast Matchday 6: Leicestershire Foxes v Birmingham Bears 

SCORECARD

RESULT | Birmingham Bears (2 points) beat Leicestershire Foxes by 30 runs  

REACTION | Head Coach Pierre de Bruyn spoke to BBC Radio Leicester's Mike McCarthy after the match, the interview is available HERE

REPORT | Birmingham Bears maintained their 100 per cent NatWest T20 Blast record at the Fischer County Ground as a strong all-round performance resulted in a 30-run win against Leicestershire Foxes.

The visitors put a healthy total of 187 for 7 on the board as Sam Hain led the way with a fine 57 (off 35 balls). Other batsmen also scored quickly in shorter stays at the crease, including Keith Barker and Alex Mellor, who shared an unbroken 43 off the last 20 balls of the innings.

Left arm spinner Callum Parkinson (4-0-25-2) exerted plenty of control, and Tom Wells took 1 for 5 off a solitary over, but life was generally tough for the bowlers on a terrific wicket.

The Foxes would have been confident of chasing the runs down under the lights but a position of 94 for 6 after 11.1 overs left too much to do.

Although Tom Wells (29 off 28) and Mat Pillans (34 not out from 25) did their best with a seventh wicket stand of 53 in 7.2 overs, the Bears made it four NatWest T20 Blast wins out of four in completed fixtures on this ground.

Aaron Thomason and Boyd Rankin each took three key wickets for the Bears but it was hard to argue that Jeetan Patel was not the pick of the visiting attack with 1 for 17 off four overs of quality off-spin bowling. 

Skipper Clint McKay returned to the side in place of Dieter Klein and elected to bowl first after winning the toss on a hot evening in front of another good crowd at the FCG.

County struck two early blows as Ed Pollock (5 off 5) was stumped off Parkinson's second ball while opening partner Ian Bell (7 off 8) hit McKay high into the blue sky and was taken by Wells at mid-on. 

Momentum changed as Hain took 14 off the first three balls of the fifth over from Pillans; he struck through backward point and mid-wicket to collect fours and pulled a six between those strokes.  

Will Porterfield (34 off 24) would have been run out by a country mile had there been a direct hit when on 5, but the left-hander went on to smoke three big maximums as the stand passed 50.

The left-hander perished to the parsimonious Parkinson at the end of the ninth over as he just failed to clear the boundary at long-off and Wells took the catch.

Hain, who had one reprieve in his innings at 21 when Gavin Griffiths put down a chance in his follow through, gathered another trio of fours, including two through mid-off.

Overseas batsman Colin de Grandhomme (15 off 11) clattered an almighty six in the 12th over but Griffiths had revenge when Wells claimed his third grab of the innings, this time at long-on.

Wickets were not stopping the runs - 13 came off the 13th from Delport as both Grant Elliott and Hain found the boundary at cover.

Elliott departed for a useful 16 off 11 when he failed to clear Mark Cosgrove at cover off Wells before Hain recorded a superb 50 (6x4, 1x6) off just the 28th ball of an innings that would be the highest score of the game.

The Foxes had managed to quieten the batsmen down though - only 28 came off overs 14 to 17 - and Pillans' handy knack of taking wickets continued in the 17th over.

Pillans struck twice as Thomason (4 off 5) miscued to McKay at mid-off while Hain, who had found the ropes with an audacious reverse sweep off the captain in the previous over, saw off stump disturbed by a quick delivery.

But the Bears launched an impressive counter-attack and the final three overs yielded 40 as Barker and Mellor applied the long handle.

Barker and Mellor - who each faced 11 balls in posting unbeaten scores of 23 and 18 respectively - picked up a maximum apiece as the antepenultimate over went for 17 before the former cleared the hospitality boxes at the Pavilion End with a huge hit in the 19th.

A total of 13 came off that offering and ten were gathered off the last, including a cheeky four by Barker after moving across his stumps.

Boundaries and wickets were a theme of a powerplay that saw the Foxes ahead of the required run rate but behind in terms of where they wanted to be in terms of dismissals.

Ronchi hit the first two balls of the chase for four to mid-wicket and cover respectively and also sent the final delivery of the opening over for a maximum over the leg-side as Barker conceded 16.

It was a flying start but Rankin struck an important blow in the second over as Cameron Delport (2 off 4) was caught by a tumbling de Grandhomme at mid-wicket.

Cosgrove collected four boundaries in a whirlwind 22 off 12 before driving Thomason to Bell, who ran around to extra cover to take a good low catch.

Ackermann (13 off 7) sent three of his opening four balls to the fence - including two strokes down to fine-leg - but the number four batsman was bowled by Patel to put the Foxes at 59 for 3 after six overs.

The Bears stopped the flow of boundaries and Thomason (4-0-33-3) was rewarded with the wickets of Ronchi (27 off 20), deceived by a slower delivery that hit off stump, and Pettini (5 off 8), caught by Elliott at long-on. It left the Foxes with plenty of work to do at 72 for 5 in the ninth over.

Hill (17 off 13) nudged down to third man for four before smashing a six in the 11th but he too fell after making a start, Porterfield running back from mid-on to take a smart catch off Elliott.

Leicestershire continued to fight as Wells smoked a six and four to leg in Rankin's third set while Pillans started his lively knock by pulling to the fence in the 14th.

However, de Grandhomme and Patel bowled tight overs to leave the Foxes 64 to chase off just 24 balls. Pillans hit a brace of sixes over mid-on as 16 came off the 17th but Patel completed his marvellous spell by conceding only four runs.

The Foxes now required 44 off 12 deliveries and Wells and McKay both skied catches to third man and cover respectively in the 19th as Rankin finished with 3 for 26. 

Pillans clattered his third maximum to long-on in the final over but the game was up, leaving the Foxes with eight points from their first six games. The next match is also at home against Durham Jets on Friday evening (6.30pm start).

Bowling figures for Leicestershire: McKay 4-0-34-1, Parkinson 4-0-25-2, Pillans 4-0-41-2, Ackermann 1-0-13-0, Griffiths 4-0-42-1, Delport 2-0-24-0., Wells 1-0-5-1.

TEAM | Ronchi (wk), Delport, Cosgrove, Ackermann, Pettini, Hill, Wells, Pillans, McKay (capt), Parkinson, Griffiths.