Birmingham Bears | T20 Match Preview - 26/05/2023

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Leicestershire have an immediate chance to bounce back following yesterday’s loss to Lancashire Lightning at Old Trafford.

Birmingham Bears are the visitors to Grace Road this evening, as the second instalment of a double header which also sees The Blaze takes on Central Sparks in the other East vs West Midlands clash.

The Bears are looking to back up their 34-run win over Yorkshire during Blast Off at Edgbaston on Saturday.

Last Time We Met:

Leicestershire won a nail-biter by five runs at Edgbaston last June during the two sides’ last contest. Will Davis holding his nerve to stop Carlos Brathwaite from blasting the Bears to victory in the final over.

Ben Mike and Rehan Ahmed took three wickets apiece to halt the home side’s chase, after Scott Steel’s career-best 72 (51b) and Mike’s quickfire 34 (17b) helped the Foxes post 152/9 having been 65/5 four balls after halfway.

Head-to-Head:

Colin Ackermann is undoubtedly one of Leicestershire’s biggest threats. The skipper is the Club’s all-time leading T20 run-scorer with 1,821 at an average of 28.45, striking at a touch under 130.

The South African-born all-rounder ended last season’s Blast with scores of 85 and 72* not out, while he smashed a 47-ball ton in his only warm-up game early this week.

It’s a fixture that holds a special memory for Ackermann, who took a world-record 7 for 18 in the Foxes’ victory over the Bears at Uptonsteel County Ground in 2019.

Hain’s record for the Bears is exceptional. Also standing as his side’s all-time leading run-scorer, the 27-year-old 2812 runs at a stunning average of 39.6, striking at just under 135.

Squad:

The Foxes name an unchanged 14-man squad.

Leicestershire Foxes: Ackermann*, Ahmed, Budinger, Davis, Finan, Hill, Lilley, Mulder, Naseem, Parkinson, Patel, Scriven, Swindells+, Welch.

Tickets for this evening's fixture are available to purchase online until 3pm HERE.