McDonald: "The hope is still there"

Leicestershire Foxes are looking to keep their NatWest T20 Blast qualification hopes alive by winning the second part of a double-header at Birmingham Bears tomorrow afternoon.

Last night's victory in a game against holders Lancashire Lightning where over 400 runs were scored on a fantastic wicket at the Fischer County Ground was the perfect start to a weekend that now requires a further success at Edgbaston tomorrow afternoon (2.30pm start).

Birmingham Bears lost their derby at Worcestershire Rapids but both sides go into the game with a huge incentive - knowing they can end the day in third place.

Although the Foxes will have played more games than some of their rivals, including the Bears, a positive net run rate and points on the board is never a bad situation to be in.

The team take confidence into the match after the Lightning success, one where Elite Performance Director Andrew McDonald reserved special praise for leading run-scorer Mark Pettini, who has scored three half-centuries in his last four NatWest T20 Blast innings for the Foxes, and Pettini's vice-captain, Clint McKay.

McDonald told BBC Radio Leicester: “You’d never say a performance is complete but I think the batting was outstanding and Clint (McKay) is world-class in those situations.

“The foundation was set by Coz (Mark Cosgrove) and Mark Pettini, with the skipper leading the way, and Cameron Delport clearly thought the boundaries were not big enough for him tonight.

“There were a few finishing touches from Farhaan (Behardien) and Hilly (Lewis Hill), if we’re being honest we probably could have defended it a little bit better than that but we had a big score on the board and it was a great to get a win for the big crowd that turned out.

“Clint (McKay) is a star, to bowl four overs for 22 when the heat was on was outstanding, he’s a fantastic exponent of the slower ball and knows hen to bowl it. To have his experience is key, and although his figures will say ‘none-for’, his spell was probably the difference in the game.

“It’s not through lack of trying we’ve been inconsistent in the competition this season, and we just feel as though we’re getting going really. I was pleased for the skipper, who leads by example and is good tactically.”

The Foxes now travel to a venue that has inspired them in the past with McDonald having particularly fond memories after being part of the side that lifted the trophy in 2011. He also played a key role in an Edgbaston victory in the group stages that year, taking 1-28 from four overs before making 40 as captain.

Leicestershire lifted the trophy for the first of three times back in 2004 while their best performance of 2015 came in the West Midlands, with Umar Akmal and Niall O’Brien guiding the team to a seven-wicket win.

A game at Notts Outlaws rounds off the group stages on Friday, July 29 and McDonald said the team want to give themselves chance of making that become the biggest game of the season.

 “We’ve got two big away games to come, we want to keep our hopes alive at Birmingham and if we had the scenario of winning at Notts to get through, we’d take that.

“It was a disappointing performance at home against Birmingham. We got sent in and got nowhere near the total that we needed, so we want to put that right.

“It will be a good wicket at Edgbaston and there will be a good crowd, so the show keeps rolling on as the hope is still there.

“We did it the hard way against Lancashire, batting first, and it’s great to see games can still be won batting first in this competition. We’ve maybe left it too late, but if we do get through by winning our last two games, we’ll be very dangerous."

A boost has been provided ahead of the game as Niall O’Brien could make his comeback on the ground he sustained a calf injury last month. His brother Kevin, who made 75 for Ireland in the third ODI against Afghanistan on Thursday, remains in Stormont on international duty.

The Foxes will also be without seamer Richard Jones, who impressed with two wickets against Lightning, as part of the agreement of his loan deal. Jigar Naik has been added to squad to provide another bowling option, while Tom Wells and Paul Horton are also in contention, so 14 Foxes players will travel to Edgbaston.

Following our game, Birmingham Bears Women take on Lancashire Women (approx 6pm start), with Foxes fans welcome to stay on and watch that fixture.

Foxes (from): Pettini (capt), Cosgrove, Delport, Behardien, Hill, Burgess, Horton, N O’Brien, Taylor, Raine, Wells, Sayer, Naik, McKay