Foxes suffer fourth defeat on the road
Fri 3 Jul 2015
Mark Stoneman played a captain’s knock as Leicestershire Foxes started an important NatWest T20 Blast double header with a 38-run defeat at Durham Jets.
Stoneman made an unbeaten 89 off 60 balls on a night where the next highest score was 28 not out from Usman Arshad at the Emirates Durham ICG.
The skipper recorded the second highest score in the Jets history and put on 65 in the last 38 balls with Arshad as the Jets put 163-5 on the board after being asked to bat first.
There was controlled bowling from off-spinners Rob Sayer - who had brilliant figures of 4-0-16-2 on his T20 debut - and Jigar Naik (4-0-26-1) while Clint McKay (4-0-27-1) bowled another good spell.
The Foxes found themselves behind the rate and although Tom Wells hit three sixes in his 27 from 18 balls, Arshad (4-0-18-3) also shone with the ball as the Foxes were dismissed for 125 with a ball to go.
John Hastings also took three wickets and although Scott Borthwick was slightly expensive, he picked up the key wickets of stand-in captain Grant Elliott and Niall O’Brien as the Foxes slipped to a fourth defeat in six away matches.
Captain Mark Cosgrove missed the game due to family commitments so Sayer came into the XI as the only change to the team that tied against Yorkshire. The Foxes had a tough start as 45 came from the first four overs. Naik opened the bowling and Phil Mustard struck the first two balls of the game to the boundary.
Stoneman, who gave the Foxes three tough chances during the course of his innings, then hit a trio of fours off five balls. Fellow left-hander Mustard drove a four through the covers and Stoneman also struck a boundary in that region before powering another over the top as 14 came off the fourth.
The brakes were then put on by McKay, who claimed a wicket with his first ball as Mustard (17, 13b) nicked an attempted pull to Niall O’Brien. The Victorian almost claimed a second as Stoneman heaved the last ball into the deep but a tough opportunity was put down by Wells. Only three were scored from the over, including a scampered two when the ball hit the floor.
The Jets recorded their 50 after 5.1 overs as Calum MacLeod punched Ollie Freckingham (2-0-17-0) to the cover boundary. Freckingham recovered well and spin was introduced from both ends as the Foxes continued to squeeze.
Naik struck in the seventh over as MacLeod (10, 10b) was stumped by Niall O’Brien as he attempted to sweep, and Sayer conceded only four in his first over in this format. The Jets, who were 45-0 after four, now found themselves 65-1 after eight.
The off-spinners went for just 12 in the next two overs before Stoneman collected a four by driving Kevin O’Brien (2-0-18-1) to the ropes in the 11th. The all-rounder picked up an important wicket by hitting the stumps of Paul Collingwood (9, 11b) with the final ball of the over.
Sayer then claimed a much-deserved first T20 wicket as leading scorer Gordon Muchall (1, 2b) clipped to Naik at mid-wicket. Stoneman collected a single off the returning Freckingham to progress to a 36-ball 50 and then struck backward of point to record his seventh four.
There was another victim of the Sayer-Naik combination as Ryan Pringle (3, 5b) also hit to mid-wicket, Durham struggling to 98-5 in the 14th over. Stoneman and Arshad, who took 40 off the last 18 deliveries, then propelled the Jets to a score in excess of eight an over.
Andrea Agathangelou (11, 13b) was promoted to open in Cosgrove’s absence and he struck two fours in the second over before Arshad made two big breakthroughs in the third. The seamer bowled Agathangelou and had Kevin O’Brien caught by mid-wicket by Muchall with his next delivery.
Eckersley (11, 14b) and Raine each found the ropes as the Foxes progressed to 35-2 after the powerplay but a third wicket fell as the former was bowled by Keaton Jennings (3-0-18-1).
Ten came off the ninth over as the Foxes started to gain momentum but the stand between Raine (19, 20b) and Elliott was nipped in the bud as the former Durham all-rounder was run out in Collingwood’s second over.
Elliott (16, 13b) perished the ball after striking a four in the 11th over as leg-spinner Borthwick trapped him leg before. Wells and Niall O’Brien got themselves in before the young all-rounder powered a six over mid-wicket off Collingwood.
Niall O’Brien (16, 18b) struck Borthwick through mid-wicket for four but was held in the same area by Jennings off the next ball. Wells then hammered another brace of leg-side sixes as the Foxes moved to 109-6 with four overs to go. However, he perished looking for another maximum as Pringle took a superb catch right on the mid-wicket boundary off the impressive Arshad.
The end was nigh as Hastings took two wickets in two balls in the 18th over, McKay (3, 5b) skying to Borthwick before Sayer (4, 7b) was bowled. Naik and Freckingham made four apiece before the former was bowled by Hastings, who ended with figures of 3-10.
There is no time to dwell on the result for the Foxes, who have a big game tomorrow afternoon at Grace Road. Leicestershire entertain a Birmingham Bears side for whom Brendon McCullum hit 158 not out off just 64 balls this evening.
It should be a cracking game as the Foxes are unbeaten at home and the Bears are top of the group - and the forecast is great - so please come down to support the team as they look to move back into the top four.
