Foxes' all-round performance sinks Rapids
Fri 10 Aug 2018
RESULT | Vitality Blast game 12: Leicestershire Foxes 155 for 9 beat Worcestershire Rapids 150 for 6 by 5 runs
SCORECARD | Available through ESPN Cricinfo
REACTION | Gavin Griffiths spoke to BBC Radio Leicester's Richard Rae after the win
HIGHLIGHTS | In-play highlights are available throughout the 2018 season
POINTS | Leicestershire Foxes 2, Worcestershire Rapids 0
REPORT | Mohammad Nabi’s all-round excellence helped to keep Leicestershire Foxes in the hunt for a Vitality Blast quarter-final place after a thrilling five-run victory over North Group leaders Worcestershire Rapids.
After scoring a useful 26 towards the end of the Foxes innings, the Afghanistan all-rounder bowled beautifully to return figures of 4-0-21-0 and also helped to run out key batsman Callum Ferguson (69, 49b) as the Foxes defended 155 for nine.
On a night where the Foxes whole was greater than the sum of the parts, Ben Raine played a quality innings (32, 18b, 4x4, 2x6), and Mark Cosgrove and Colin Ackermann also made valuable contributions with the willow.
And while Callum Ferguson (69, 49b) produced a series of choice cuts that a butcher would have been proud of, the attack was highly disciplined.
Gavin Griffiths registered a T20 career-best three for 28, Neil Dexter (3-0-19-0) and Callum Parkinson (3-0-21-0) kept things extremely tight alongside Nabi, and Zak Chappell held his nerve under the utmost pressure in the final over.
The win puts the Foxes on 10 points from 12 games, and while progression is out of their hands, another win tomorrow night in front of the television cameras at Derbyshire Falcons would keep things extremely interesting ahead of the final group game against Northants Steelbacks next Friday.
The Foxes named an unchanged side from Wednesday’s defeat to Durham Jets, and the team was batting first after losing the toss on a dry, bright evening at the Fischer County Ground.
Openers Neil Dexter (4, 2b) and Harry Swindells (2, 4b) both fell to left arm seam in the first two overs; the former nicked Wayne Parnell to Ben Cox, and Swindells lofted the impressive Luke Wood to cover.
A cracking shot from Raine in the cover region yielded four, while 21 came from the fifth over, including a brace of fours and two cleanly struck maximums from the powerful left-hander.
Raine then stepped across his stumps to cheekily flick Parnell over short fine leg for another boundary as the Foxes reached 44 for two by the end of the powerplay.
Quick thinking from Ben Cox then saw the dismissal of Raine, the ‘keeper having the bails off in a flash after the batsman overstepped after trying to clip a leg-side wide to the ropes.
Cosgrove enjoyed some success from that stroke as Barnard strayed on to the pads before sending the next ball hurtling back past the bowler for four more, while Ackermann smoked a superb straight six when counterpart Brett D’Oliveira entered the attack.
The batsmen were into their stride now; a couple of timed cuts by Ackermann came either side of a Cosgrove straight drive that required neat footwork from umpire Rob Bailey to avoid a painful blow on the shin.
Their alliance reached 52 in 5.4 overs before Ackermann (25, 16b) clipped the medium pace of Mitchell to deep backward square-leg, and when Cosgrove (33, 33b) drove Barnard to long-off, the Foxes had slipped to 103 for five in the 14th.
A welcome boundary arrived as Chappell top-edged Brown high over Cox’s head, but the Rapids continued to excel in the field, underlined by an acrobatic piece of work by Wood on the square-leg boundary that denied Nabi what appeared to be a certain maximum.
Wood received some tangible reward when an attempted lap by Chappell (10, 10b) ended in the gloves of Cox, before some good strokeplay by Nabi - who hit two fours and a six in his useful 23-ball knock - helped the score beyond 50.
The Rapids kept chipping away, instigating the run outs of Nabi and Callum Parkinson (0, 1b) while also claiming the wicket of Ned Eckersley (4, 3b), caught at deep mid-wicket off Parnell (4-0-26-2).
Although debutant Olly Westbury struck five fours in an attractive 24 (17b), the powerplay belonged to the Foxes as the visitors lost three wickets in posting 44.
A good opening over from Nabi set the tone, and Griffiths then struck an important blow as Joe Clarke (3, 8b) nicked to Eckersley.
Raine removed Westbury with a yorker from around the wicket, and Griffiths claimed his second wicket when D’Oliveira (1, 2b) drove straight to Ackermann at mid-off.
Ferguson was the dangerman, and after opening his boundary account with a strong pull through straight mid-wicket, he thrice cut firmly to record further fours.
The Australia international also pulled to the ropes, but the Rapids slipped behind the rate at the midway point at 65 for three after another good over by Nabi.
Worcestershire CCC required ten runs an over with eight to go, and Ferguson decided it was time to put his foot on the gas, striking the first maximum of the innings over mid-off. Ben Cox also pulled for four as 11 came of the 13th.
The set batsmen hit a boundary apiece in the next over, but Parkinson broke the alliance at 62 by having Cox (18, 23b) stumped by Eckersley.
Ferguson moved to 50 (36b, 6x4, 1x6) at the start of the 15th, and Whiteley launched a six towards the end of Nabi’s superb spell to keep the Rapids in contention.
Griffiths removed Whiteley (10, 8b) with a well-directed bouncer, and at that stage the Rapids still required 35 runs off 21 balls. When Ferguson was run out by Nabi as Chappell delivered a tremendous penultimate over that went for just three, the Foxes had wrestled control of this tense tussle.
Griffiths then only conceded a run a ball to leave a final over target of 20 runs, and although three fours and a brace of singles were scored to leave six required off the last ball, Chappell beat the outside edge of Parnell’s bat to send the Foxes faithful home with smiles on their faces.
TEAM | Dexter, Cosgrove, Raine, Ackermann (capt), Eckersley (wk), Nabi, Javid, Swindells, Chappell, Parkinson, Griffiths
FIGURES | Nabi 4-0-21-0, Raine 3-0-31-1, Griffiths 4-0-28-3, Chappell 3-0-30-0, Dexter 3-0-19-0, Parkinson 3-0-21-0
PHOTO | Thanks to Ed Melia for the photo of Mohammad Nabi batting
* Our final Vitality Blast home game is against Northants Steelbacks on Friday, August 17! The best value tickets are available in advance – a family ticket for 2 adults and 3 under 16s is available for £37 in advance of the fixture. Secure your seat at the Fischer County Ground today HERE
