Foxes end with derby defeat
Fri 29 Jul 2016
NatWest T20 Blast Matchday 14: Notts Outlaws v Leicestershire Foxes
REPORT | Leicestershire Foxes ended their NatWest T20 Blast campaign with a rain-affected loss by eight wickets on the D-L Method to North Division winners Notts Outlaws.
There was a delayed start in a match that was later reduced to 18 overs per side before more bad weather cut the second innings by another 24 deliveries.
The Foxes posted 170-4 thanks to an early-half-century from Mark Cosgrove and fine knocks by Farhaan Behardien (48*, 26b) and Lewis Hill (30, 16b), who helped to add 55 in three overs after a downpour.
Michael Lumb (69*, 26b) and Dan Christian (54*, 16b) were then in devastating form as the Outlaws, who learned they had secured top spot during the third and final interruption as Northants Steelbacks lost to Yorkshire Steelbacks, finished the group stages in style.
An initial revised target of 175 was set after D-L calculations and Lumb dominated with 58 out of a total of 96-1 before rain returned after 7.4 overs.
The chase was subsequently reduced to 141 off 14 overs and skipper Christian picked up the baton, recording the Outlaws’ fastest ever half-century, as they won with 21 balls to spare.
Leicestershire showed three changes from their last outing at Birmingham Bears as Kevin O’Brien, Neil Dexter and Richard Jones came in for Tom Wells, Rob Taylor and Ben Raine.
The start was delayed by 15 minutes because of inclement weather and the Foxes were invited to bat by Christian.
Cosgrove glanced Jake Ball down to fine leg for the game’s first four in the second over before a late cut off Luke Fletcher beat the despairing dive of third man in the next offering.
A well-timed cover drive from Mark Pettini opened his boundary account in the fourth before both batsmen tucked away to deep backward square leg in Fletcher’s second over.
The first maximum arrived as Cosgrove belted to deep mid-wicket and the Foxes were in decent shape at 45 without loss after the six-over powerplay.
Their stand moved to exactly 50 before the first wicket arrived, Pettini (15, 19b) driving Patel’s economical slow left arm spin to Christian at cover.
A trio of beautifully timed off-drives raced away to take Cosgrove to the brink of 50 and the landmark was recorded from just 29 balls (6x4, 1x6).
Cameron Delport was now settled in and a crunching stroke for four through backward point was followed by a pulled maximum later in Christian’s second over, helping the Foxes to 85-1 at the halfway stage.
Tahir’s wrist-spin helped to peg back the Foxes, five coming from an opening over that also broke the 39-run stand as Cosgrove (53, 34b) was stumped by Chris Read.
Leicestershire then had two new batsmen at the crease as Delport (19, 13b) smashed Steven Mullaney high into the gloomy sky and Read got under the chance well running towards short fine leg.
Behardien and Hill were given very little pace or width to work with from Tahir and Mullaney, who operated with the same discipline as Patel (4-0-22-1), so improvisation was required.
The South Africa international cleverly moved across his stumps to knock the all-rounder for six over mid-wicket to take the score into three figures at the start of the 14th over.
Leicestershire were 115-3 with thirty balls scheduled to be bowled when another heavy downpour descended on Trent Bridge, reducing the game to an 18-over affair.
The Foxes went big in their three remaining overs by striking nine fours and a maximum at a run rate of 18.33.
Tahir still had two overs up his sleeve but his first went for 16, including three boundaries, as Hill pulled out two conventional sweeps and a reverse effort.
The young batsman then walked across to flick Fletcher for a maximum before holing out to Ball at deep backward square after a gem of a knock.
Behardien smashed six boundaries after Hill was out to ensure momentum wasn’t lost. He struck Fletcher through mid-off before five fours arrived in Ball’s last over; the first coming through mid-wicket while the final four balls hit the rope at cover point, backward point, third man and extra cover respectively.
The Outlaws also started with a flurry of boundaries as openers Lumb and Wessels shared 60 in 27 balls.
Lumb hit five fours and a trio of maximums, including consecutive clean straight hits at the start of the fourth over, while Wessels hit fours over short fine leg and backward point before recording a six over mid-on.
Clint McKay (2.3-0-25-1) bowled Wessels (19, 13b) with the next delivery but Lumb continued to dominate, hitting Dexter’s first two balls to the fence at third man and extra to record a brilliant 17-ball 50 (7x4, 3x6).
Another four through backward point followed for the left-hander before the over was out but Lumb lost another partner as Greg Smith (4, 8b) was lbw on the sweep to Sayer (3-0-39-1).
Christian remarkably produced a faster innings than than Lumb, registering 14 from his first three deliveries before the heavens opened again, with the Outlaws requiring a further 46 from 38 balls when it relented.
The skipper continued his boundary barrage, striking the first ball back through mid-off before smashing four consecutive sixes at the start of the 9th over.
Lumb clattered a couple of fours as the 50 stand came up in 16 balls in the 12th, Christian contributing 43 of the alliance in 11 deliveries before going on to hit a further four and six to win the game and record a 16-ball 50 in the process.
The Outlaws now take on Essex Eagles at Trent Bridge in the quarter-final while Northants also claimed a home tie against Middlesex after the narrow margin of defeat to Yorkshire, who will travel to Glamorgan. The other last-eight clash sees Durham face a trip to Gloucestershire.
Before those fixtures, these two teams will meet again on Sunday as the Royal London One-Day Cup returns to the Fischer County Ground (11am start).
