Foxes ready for Outlaws rematch

Head Coach Paul Nixon said that Leicestershire Foxes will not dwell on the Vitality Blast defeat to Lancashire Lightning ahead of the East Midlands derby at Notts Outlaws tomorrow evening (6.30pm start).

Nixon felt that Lightning was the better side on the night but - as always - was in a positive frame of mind ahead of the short trip to Trent Bridge.

He said: “We started really well but the period where we lost wickets in a cluster was key to the game. Lancashire fielded very well, and by going hard at us in the powerplay, created a comfortable win in the end.

“But there were many positives to take from the game with Ben Raine and Callum Parkinson bowling particularly well.

“The nature of T20 means that you will lose the odd game and it’s always about how you bounce back. We have the opportunity to do that at Notts tomorrow.

“There will be a big crowd with a good derby atmosphere and one our players will enjoy playing in. We’re determined to end the first phase of T20 with a win. Notts played well at our place but we got quite close in the end. We’ve learnt our lessons ahead of the rematch.”

All-rounder Raine continues to have a key role in the side; he has contributed 144 runs at a staggering strike rate of 218.18, and was the pick of the attack against Lancashire (4-0-23-1).

But slow bowling proved to be key in Wednesday's fixture as Matthew Parkinson, Liam Livingstone and Arron Lilley took six for 66 from 11 combined overs to put a hold on the Foxes' scoring rate, while Callum Parkinson and Mohammad Nabi bowled nicely in the second innings. 

The spin duo have been an important part of County's attack, with Parkinson the Foxes' leading wicket-taker (8 wickets at 16.87) and Nabi having the best economy rate (7.47) of anyone that has bowled more than an over.

Parkinson reserved praise for opener Cameron Delport (131 runs at 26.20), who has struck up a good opening partnership with Neil Dexter (160 at 133.33) in Vitality Blast.

The left-hander scored a match-winning century at Trent Bridge in the thrilling final group game last season that saw the Foxes qualify for the quarter-finals, and Parkinson said that is still fresh in the memory.

He said: “Cameron Delport again got us off to a really good start but unfortunately we lost wickets in clumps and could not build any partnerships.

“It was a disappointing score after we had got off to a flyer. We thought 160 or 170 was par but ultimately we fell short of where we wanted to be. Their spinners did bowl well and we didn’t get enough runs on the board.

“They took a bit of a gamble by coming out all guns blazing with the bat and we couldn’t execute with the ball as well as we needed to do.

“But it’s all about looking forward now – we had a great night at Trent Bridge last season, a game that will live long in the memory of everyone involved. Something similar on Friday night would be brilliant.”

The Foxes has made one change to the 14-man squad for the match at Notts Outlaws as Ateeq Javid comes into contention along with Gavin Griffiths and Rob Sayer.

Foxes (from 14): Ackermann (capt), Abbas, Chappell, Cosgrove, Delport, Dexter, Eckersley, Griffiths, Javid, Nabi, Parkinson, Raine, Sayer, Wells.

* Our next Vitality Blast home game is against Derbyshire Falcons on Friday, July 27! 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