Match Preview | T20 Blast | Derbyshire Falcons | 30 May 2025

It’s T20 time at Uptonsteel County Ground as Leicestershire kick off their quest for trophy number four with a derby day clash against East Midlands rivals Derbyshire.

The Foxes have soared high in Championship cricket this term, winning five of their opening seven matches, and will be bidding to build on that momentum when they battle the Falcons under the Friday night lights.

Leicestershire’s Vitality Blast side - led by new captain Louis Kimber “ welcomes Pakistan captain Shan Masood to the ranks, with the 35-year-old in line for a debut against his former county.

Squad:

Masood comes straight into the matchday squad, while another ex-Derbyshire overseas star, Logan van Beek, will be aiming to make his mark on T20 debut for the Foxes.

Liam Trevaskis, who missed the entirety of the Blast through injury last term, is also in contention for his maiden Foxes T20 appearance, as is 18-year-old giant Alex Green.

Lewis Hill will be hoping to play his first Blast match since July 2023, while Matt Salisbury, Harry Swindells and Sam Wood all come into the squad for the first time this season.

Rehan Ahmed and Josh Hull are both away on England Lions duty, while Ian Holland is on his way to the U.S. for the 2025 Major League Cricket. Ben Mike is unavailable with a hamstring injury.

Leicestershire Foxes: Budinger, Cox+, A Green, Hill, Kimber*, Masood, Patel, Salisbury, Scriven, Swindells, Trevaskis, van Beek, Walker, Wood

Famous Fixture:

If Leicestershire have a T20 bogey team in recent years, it’s Derbyshire. Especially at home, with the Foxes’ last home win against the Falcons coming back in 2017.

The part-time bowling of Aadil Ali (4-0-22-2) and Cameron Delport (4-0-18-1) helped restrict the away side to a modest 139 for seven, with Matt Critchley’s unbeaten 72 the only score north of 13.

Leicestershire raced out of the traps in response, with overseas star Luke Ronchi smashing 32 from only 15 deliveries, before Mark Cosgrove’s 57 not out steered the side to a six-wicket win with nine balls to spare.

Decisive Duel:

The battle of the overseas stars could well decide where this one goes, especially with the bat. The Foxes’ ranks have been bolstered by the arrival of Pakistan Test skipper Shan Masood this week, a man with almost 200 T20 appearances to his name.

The 35-year-old has scored 4,475 runs in that time at an average of 26.16. If he can replicate his form for Derbyshire during the 2022 Vitality Blast, 547 runs at 45.58, he’ll be a major influence on the Foxes’ fortunes both against his former employers and in the competition as a whole.

Caleb Jewell has had a wonderful start to life as a Falcon, sitting second in the Division Two scoring charts with 693 runs at 63. He’s an adept T20 opener too, with the 28-year-old helping Hobart Hurricanes to their maiden Big Bash title earlier this year.

Tickets:

Save on advance tickets when buying ONLINE before midnight on Thursday, with entry starting from just £7. Tickets will also be available on the gate on the day from the Curzon Road Ticket Office*.

*Subject to availability

Follow The Action:

If you can’t make it in person, you can follow our play-by-play feed on X (@leicsccc), as well as updates on Instagram (@leicsccc) and Facebook (Leicestershire County Cricket Club). Our FREE live stream will also be available via Foxes TV on YouTube.