Foxes ready for action-packed weekend
Thu 2 Jul 2015
Leicestershire Foxes will be hoping that Ben Raine again proves a lucky charm as the team begins an important NatWest T20 Blast double header with a trip to Durham Jets tomorrow night (5.30pm start).
Sunderland-born Raine has faced his former teammates three times in the competition and has been on the winning side on each occasion, including the corresponding fixture last year when he hit the winning runs.
The all-rounder took a wicket with the last ball of the game to ensure the Foxes clinched a tie against Yorkshire Vikings and that, along with the news Head Coach Andrew McDonald has agreed a two-year contract extension, ensures the Foxes will travel up the A1 on a high.
That point took the Foxes’ tally to ten from nine matches and means they currently sit in joint second place. Durham lost their last outing against Lancashire but are still very much in the mix in a tight north section.
Raine said: “Things have been going well for the team in this competition, and while I’d love to show the Durham fans that I’ve made progress since I left, all that matters is us picking up the points.
“It’s going to be a tough couple of games against top outfits, especially with the travelling, but we have so much motivation to do well, and as we showed against Yorkshire, we never give up.”
Raine’s captain Mark Cosgrove has praised his contribution to the side ahead of a busy weekend where the Foxes also entertain reigning champions Birmingham Bears on Saturday (2.30pm) before hosting Kent in the LV=CC on Sunday.
Cosgrove said: “It was a great final over from Rainey (Ben Raine) to get us something out of the game against Yorkshire. We didn’t really bat well enough to get a point so it could prove to be a vital one for us.
“Rainey’s been fantastic for us. When he came back from having the winter in New Zealand and we saw him in the nets at the start of the season, we knew he could do a really good job for us. He’s done more than we could have expected, so it’s been a fantastic effort from him.”
The Foxes face four NatWest T20 Blast games in the space of ten days – as well as the red-ball encounter against Kent - and the skipper is keen for his side to keep their momentum going.
He said: “We have back-to-back T20 games and if we can get a couple of good results then it will set us up for the back-end of the tournament.
“We’re in a decent position, but we’re well aware we still need to win two or three more games to get through. It’s a tight group, so we need to keep playing good cricket and winning. We can’t afford to take our foot off the gas at all.”
Cosgrove and Raine are part of a 15-man Leicestershire squad that also includes young trio Aadil Ali, Rob Sayer and Lewis Hill. Durham are not expected to make too many changes from the Lancashire match, with Graham Clark and Jamie Harrison added to the XI on duty that night.
Foxes (from): Cosgrove (capt), Agathangelou, Ali, Eckersley, Elliott, Freckingham, Hill, McKay, Naik, K O’Brien, N O’Brien, Raine, Sayer, Sheikh, Wells.
