Dearden makes half-century on T20 debut

RESULT | Vitality Blast game 14: Leicestershire Foxes 148-7 lost to Northants Steelbacks 154-6 by 4 wickets

SCORECARD | Available through ESPN Cricinfo

REACTION | Head Coach Paul Nixon spoke to BBC Mike McCarthy after the game

HIGHLIGHTS | In-play highlights are available throughout the 2018 season

POINTS | Leicestershire Foxes 0, Northants Steelbacks 2

REPORT | Vitality Blast debutant Harry Dearden played a delightful innings but it was not quite enough for Leicestershire Foxes to sign off the 2018 campaign with a victory at the Fischer County Ground.

Dearden scored 61 off 40 balls, sharing 62 for the fifth wicket with Ateeq Javid as the Foxes put 148 for seven on the board against Northants Steelbacks.

The left-hander produced some fine strokeplay as well as sharp running between the wickets in an innings that a T20 veteran would have been proud of.

Ben Curran, Ben Duckett and Josh Cobb got the Steelbacks ahead of the rate at 89 for one after ten overs, and although the Foxes stormed back, the visitors ultimately nudged home by four wickets.

There were two wickets apiece for pace duo Zak Chappell and Dieter Klein, leading wicket-taker Callum Parkinson (4-0-20-1) bowled a super spell.

The Foxes showed four changes to the side that suffered an abandonment at Derbyshire Falcons as Dearden came in for his T20 bow alongside Klein, Lewis Hill and Aadil Ali.

Ned Eckersley and Harry Swindells opened the batting after Alex Wakely won the toss and invited the Foxes to bat first.

There was an unfortunate second over as Gareth Wade had to come out of the attack after bowling two non-pitching deliveries. Eckersley dispatched one of the free hits through the covers as 13 runs were gathered in total.

But Eckersley (6, 8b) lost his wicket in the third when pulling Richard Gleeson to Charlie Thurston, who took the catch right on the square-leg boundary.

A well-placed cut stroke brought Swindells (14, 16b) his first four, but the youngster then struck Luke Procter to Wade at mid-off. When the same bowler had captain Colin Ackermann (1, 9b) caught behind after top-edging an attempted pull, the Foxes had slipped to 34 for three within the powerplay.

The score became 36 for four when slow left armer Graeme White (4-0-23-1) had Zak Chappell (2, 5b) stumped off a leg-side wide, and tight spin bowling restricted the Foxes to 55 for four at halfway.

Dearden upped the tempo, twice lofting over straight mid-wicket to record a four and six respectively, while Javid hit a clean shot down the ground to open his boundary account.

The left-hander picked up two consecutive boundaries at the start of the 14th over by flicking down to long-leg and clouting over mid-off, and the stand was now worth 50.

Dearden produced another strong leg-side stroke to record his second maximum, but Javid (20, 25b) then skied Nathan Buck to Tom Sole at deep extra.

Another fine shot from Dearden - a cut that perfectly split deep cover and a man at extra in the ring - brought up 50 from 33 balls (4x4, 2x6), and the batsman then pulled Buck with enough force to beat a tumbling Gleeson at wide long-on.

A sharp piece of work by Gleeson in his follow through ended Dearden’s knock, the batsman just failing to make his ground, and the Foxes had 126 for six on the board with twelve balls to go.

Hill (12, 10b), Aadil (14, 9b) and Parkinson (5*, 2b) ensured the Foxes got close to 150, the middle of those batsmen being selflessly run out in the last over.

Curran collected six early boundaries in a lively knock while Duckett struck two fours and a big maximum as the Steelbacks recorded 50 in 4.4 overs.

The Foxes needed a breakthrough, and Chappell provided it by bowling Curran for 29 (18b) off the next delivery.

Duckett formed another alliance with Cobb, striking a further brace of powerful fours as the score raced to 63 for one after six overs. Cobb then struck a four and six in the arc between mid-wicket and mid-on

The parsimonious Parkinson picked up some tangible reward - his 15th wicket of the competition - as Duckett (38, 24b) lofted to Chappell at long-off.

But there was no let-up as visiting captain Wakely struck his first ball for a straight six, and he and Cobb each collected fours in the 12^th.

Leicestershire Foxes refused to give up, and Klein (4-0-23-2) returned to have Wakely (14, 12b) well-held by Dearden at deep backward square-leg as part of a superb wicket maiden.

Thurston (7, 7b) pulled handsomely for six before striking a full toss from Chappell to Hill at mid-on, and when Cobb (30, 30b) nicked Klein behind, the Steelbacks had faltered to 120 for five.

That became 125 for six in the 17th over as Ackermann introduced himself to positive effect, Procter (5, 5b) being taken low down by a diving Swindells at deep square-leg.

White eased any visiting nerves with an unbeaten 21 off ten balls to go with his fine bowling earlier in the evening.

Attention now turns to Sunday’s huge game in the Specsavers County Championship against Kent CCC, with the match due to get underway at 11am.

TEAM | Eckersley (wk), Swindells, Chappell, Ackermann (capt), Javid, Dearden, Hill, Aadil, Parkinson, Klein, Griffiths

FIGURES | Klein 4-0-23-2, Griffiths 4-0-35-0, Chappell 3-0-38-2, Parkinson 4-0-20-1, Javid 2-0-17-0, Ackermann 1.4-0-20-1

PHOTO | Thanks to Ed Melia for the photo of Harry Dearden batting

* Thanks for your support in the Vitality Blast this season. Our next home game is an important Specsavers County Championship encounter against Kent CCC starting on Sunday. Secure your seat at the Fischer County Ground today HERE