Foxes look to continue form against Derbyshire

Leicestershire CCC are back at the Fischer County Ground on Bank Holiday Monday (27 May) following their positive trip to the Home of Cricket after drawing with Middlesex CCC in a rain-affected contest.

Head Coach Paul Nixon spoke about the positives that can be taken from the performance. He said: “We were bitterly disappointed in the end. But the way we fought back, and the resilience that we showed and the character that we had was outstanding.

“There were some brilliant performances throughout the game and we probably let them get a few too many. But, we were competent and confident that we were going to finish the game well.

“In the end we were in total control, but unfortunately the weather took the extra points from us.”

The Foxes host Derbyshire CCC in the Specsavers County Championship next, and the squad go into the fixture on the back of a win and a draw and will be looking to continue their recent upturn in form: “Derbyshire are a canny side,” said Nixon.

“Wayne Madsen has been really consistent over the last seven or eight years and is their main catalyst that people bat around, and Luis Reece got over one hundred in the first innings of their last game – they have got some good players.

“We have to respect them, but we will have our plans ready to execute and we will put them under a lot of pressure at Grace Road – we want to make this a fortress as it was many years ago.”

It is not only the First XI that find themselves in a rich vein of form, as the Second XI were victorious over Yorkshire in the Second XI Trophy and the Second XI Championship respectively, which gives Nixon the ‘nice headache' that all Head Coaches want when it comes to team selection.

He said: “You always need those headaches as a Head Coach – it is a good thing.

“We have not had that at Leicestershire for many years now, and it is wonderful that the Second team did such a wonderful job in the one-day game – and there were some great performances.

“Then, in the three-day game they smashed Yorkshire by an innings. For us to compete and beat Yorkshire – a huge county in English cricket – is a massive achievement for us.

“There were some great contributions all round. Sam Evans scored a brilliant 140. Dieter Klein, Will Davis and Gavin Griffiths all bowled beautifully. There were some really good cameos.

“We are delighted that the guys are pushing and knocking the door down, and it is not knocking the door down with a 30 or a 40.

“We want good hundreds, and big hundreds. We want five-wicket hauls and that is what we are getting now, the competition for places is good.”

Derbyshire come into the fixture on the back of a two-wicket defeat at the hands of Glamorgan, and Nixon is looking for maximum points from the fixture.

He said: “We are in a good place. We know that man for man we are as good as them, if not better, and it is about execution and confidence.

“We need to get control of the game early and set our marker down whether we bat or bowl.

“They [Derbyshire] have come off a loss so they will be hurting – and we have come off a very confident performance, almost a win, so we have got take that confidence forward and make sure that we put a real stamp on the game in the first day.”

In squad news, all-rounders Tom Taylor and Ben Mike both picked up injuries at Lord's and will not be available for the visit of our East Midlands neighbours.

Seamers Will Davis, Dieter Klein and Gavin Griffiths have been named in a 12-man squad, with the trio all possessing terrific recent form in three Second XI victories.

Derbyshire CCC have named an unchanged 12-man squad from their narrow setback to Glamorgan CCC. Seamer James Taylor, the younger brother of Leicestershire CCC's Tom, has been named alonside the XI who played last week.

Leicestershire CCC (from 12): Horton (capt), Abbas, Ackermann, Azad, Cosgrove, Davis, Dearden, Griffiths, Hill (wk), Javid, Klein, Wright.

Derbyshire CCC (from 12): Godleman (capt), Reece, Madsen, Lace, Hughes, Hosein (wk), Critchley, Dal, van Beek, Palladino, Rampaul, Taylor.

* Derbyshire CCC travel to the Fischer County Ground on Bank Holiday Monday (27 May) and you can buy tickets for the fixture HERE. Watch the full interview with Nixon HERE.