Foxes exit Blast after Bears defeat

NatWest T20 Blast Matchday 13: Birmingham Bears v Leicestershire Foxes

Scorecard

Leicestershire Foxes' NatWest T20 Blast qualification hopes were ended by Birmingham Bears following a 28-run defeat at Edgbaston this afternoon.

After being asked to bat first, Sam Hain (79, 52b, 9x4, 2x6) and Ian Bell (57, 35b, 4x4, 4x6) shared an opening stand of 125 in 13 overs with proper cricket shots before the Foxes, led once again by Clint McKay (4-0-16-1), kept the target to 187.

Mark Cosgrove helped to lay a platform with 42 off 29 balls but an experienced Bears attack, led by Rikki Clarke and Jeetan Patel claiming 4-47 off their combined eight overs, restricted the reply to 158-9.

The result took the Bears up to third to 13 points and meant that Leicestershire can get a maximum of 12 points.

That tally has already been acquired by the sides occupying the fourth and fifth positions, Durham and Worcestershire. They both have to play Derbyshire (10 points), so whatever the results in those two fixtures, one of the three cannot fail to register 13 points.

In team news, Niall O'Brien made a welcome return from injury while Tom Wells also came back into the side in place of Michael Burgess and Richard Jones, who was unavailable as part of his loan arrangement.

McKay picked up where he left off against Lancashire on Friday night with an excellent first over that yielded just a single before Hain leant into two cover drives to the short boundary in Ben Raine's opener.

Captain Bell produced a similar stroke to the longer side of the ground in the 3rd before 16 were gathered off the next, including the first maximum of the game as the England international carved over the covers.

The openers had 18 not out off 15 balls apiece after five overs and the off-spin of Rob Sayer was introduced before the powerplay was out. 

Bell produced some clever strokes, including a lapped four behind square, a reverse sweep for a couple and an inside-out drive for six, as the Bears progressed to 53-0.

A glance and pull from Hain gathered boundaries before more intelligent batting in the 10th over from Sayer brought the pair 17 further runs, including a six apiece in the extra cover region.

Three landmarks arrived in a short space of time; Hain moved to 50 (36b, 5x4, 1x6) at the end of the 11th before recording the 100 stand with a sublime drive through extra, while Bell posted his own half-century from 32 balls (4x4, 3x6) after 11.5 overs.

A brace of maximums followed in the 13th as Hain and Bell showed they have brawn as well as brain, muscling to square leg and mid-wicket respectively. 

The Foxes made a much-needed breakthrough at the end of the over as Bell nicked Taylor to O'Brien.

Three fours arrived in the 14th, including two pulled efforts from Hain, but a second wicket arrived as McKay trapped Matthew Wade (5) lbw as part of an over in which he conceded only three runs.

Hain produced a switch hit to gather four more but Cameron Delport, who took 2-21 from three overs of clever variations, gained revenge as the batsman scythed to Raine at deep cover, leaving the Bears at 151-3 with four overs to go.

The hosts lost Laurie Evans in the closing stages in identical fashion to Hain but Clarke's 24 not out off 15 balls, including three fours and a six, ensured progress did not come to a halt.

All-rounder Clarke continued to frustrate the Foxes by conceding one in his opening over but the Foxes soon got into their stride.

Pettini found the boundary before Cosgrove cleared it to mid-wicket in the 2nd from Oliver Hannon-Dalby, and the skipper then pulled Clarke's high full toss to the ropes.

Pettini (21, 19b) and Cosgrove both hits fours in Keith Barker's first offering and repeated the feat in the 5th, although the white ball skipper perished between those strokes by chipping high to Patel at mid-wicket after an alliance of 36 in 27 balls.

Good overs from Barker and Patel meant the Foxes were restricted to 46-1 after 7 overs, therefore requiring 141 from 78 balls.

The left-handed Cosgrove pulled Barker to the short side to record the 50 after 7.4 overs and the duo really got the board moving in the 9th over. Cosgrove struck Josh Poysden's wrist spin way over long-on before Delport produced a reverse sweep for six.

Patel switched to the Pavilion End to make the left handers consider hitting across the spin to the shorter boundary but they were not tempted, Cosgrove expertly using the pace to guide a wide delivery down to third man before Delport clattered a straight six.

The Foxes were in good shape at 80-1 at halfway but two key wickets fell in consecutive overs of off-spin.

Delport departed in the 11th, caught by Patel at backward point as he attempted another reverse sweep, this time off Ateeq Javid, ending a stand of 45 in 35 deliveries. Cosgrove hit a lovely four that was too straight for long-off but Patel had the batsman caught in that region by Evans with the very next delivery.

A useful stand developed between Lewis Hill and Farhaan Behardien (42 off 27 balls), whose flat six took the score to 105 at the end of the 13th. Hill then swept Javid to the ropes when the young spinner swapped ends to replace Patel.

Behardien guided away for four before Hill stepped across his stumps to collect a six as 13 came off Barker's last over, the equation now standing at two runs a ball with 30 to go.

It was to prove too much. Although Hill played a delicate lap sweep to collect four and move to 29 (21b), Patel dismissed him with the final ball of his spell as Wade whipped off the bails.

That sparked a flurry of wickets as the Foxes came up short. Two fell in the 17th as Behardien (18) holed out to long-on before Clarke completed the run out of Wells (2) off his own bowling.

Taylor (8) was held by Barker running across to mid-on in Clarke's last over while O'Brien (9) and McKay (0) were out in the last over, caught by Patel and run out respectively.

Leicestershire Foxes have one game remaining in the competition, away to Nottinghamshire Outlaws on Friday, July 29.