Heroic Azad Earns Final Day Draw

Hassan Azad scored a heroic match-saving unbeaten century to earn Leicestershire an incredibly hard-fought draw with one just one wicket to spare against Worcestershire at Uptonsteel County Ground.

Azad batted out the entirety of an enthralling final day’s play, occupying over six hours crease time, allied masterfully in a final wicket stand with Beuran Hendricks, who accompanied the opener for a mammoth 25.4 overs to secure the draw.

Earlier that morning, an overnight declaration left a simple equation for a positive result, Leicestershire needing 370 runs to win, Worcestershire needing 10 wickets.

Sam Evans began in confident fashion, with his eleventh run of the morning, a single off Charlie Morris, taking him to a landmark 1,000 career first-class runs.

It was to be his final run however, as he feathered behind to Ben Cox on the last ball of the same over.

Fellow opener Azad brought up a milestone of his own during the first ball of the following over, a boundary off Joe Leach taking him to 2,000 first-class runs for Leicestershire.

The left-hander, along with George Rhodes, took the score to 43, before the latter was dismissed by an excellent Ed Barnard diving catch off Dillon Pennington for 12.

Colin Ackermann and Azad looked mostly untroubled for the following 40 minutes or so, until the skipper (11) mistimed a cut and edged Josh Baker behind to Barnard at slip.

That wicket was the instigator to a flurry of success for Baker in the half hour before lunch. The teenager had Hill, adjudged to be leg before on one, and Swindells, playing onto his stumps for a duck.

Lunch was taken with the score showing 82-5, Azad unbeaten on 45 and Mike with a single to his name.

Azad’s fortitude was rewarded shortly after the restart, with the opening batsman bringing up his half-century following a well-controlled drive for a couple off Leach’s bowling.

The pair pushed the score past 100, before Mike nicked behind to Ed Pollock off Pennington for nine.

Ed Barnes made a speedy 15, but his stay was cut short by Baker, who picked up his fourth, trapping the Running Foxes’ seamer in front with the total on 122.

Parkinson, shadowing Azad’s example, showed defiance in a 56-ball occupation at the wicket, but he eventually succumbed to a delivery off Azhar Ali, edging behind for 14 to bring an early tea.

Chris Wright, who had shown great application with bat-in-hand during the first innings, made 14 before he was questionably given out to a Pennington delivery that clipped him on the pads.

With 25.4 overs to go and nine wickets down, Hendricks walked out to the middle to join Azad. Few would have predicted what was to come.

The South African overseas star displayed no signs of being flustered with the task at hand, calmly and coolly blocking the barrage of balls he faced, showing no inclination to burden Azad with the strike.

At the other end, a defiant Azad played selflessly, evidenced perfectly by his persistent reluctance to take a single when on 99.

Eventually, the 28-year-old did reach a well-deserved ton. As with his half-century, he brought up the milestone with a couple off Leach, in a knock that had comprised 243 balls.

The two continued to repel the Worcestershire charge as the overs ticked by, with the final nail-biting set from Baker safely negotiated by Hendricks and greeted by huge cheers from both the crowd and home balcony at Uptonsteel County Ground.

Azad finished on 104 not out, facing 280 balls in a stay that lasted over six hours, while the debuting Hendricks ended on 16 unbeaten from 60 deliveries, after more than an hour and a half battling in an absorbing final wicket stand.

Leicestershire take 12 points; Worcestershire take 14 points.