Mustard propels Jets to win
Sun 10 Jul 2016
NatWest T20 Blast Matchday 10: Durham Jets v Leicestershire Foxes
Durham stalwart Phil Mustard struck the only half-century of the game as the Jets landed a precious five-wicket victory against Leicestershire Foxes at Emirates Riverside.
Both teams had the chance to make up ground in the North Division and it was the Jets who propelled up the table thanks in large to Mustard’s unbeaten 75 from 50 balls.
A career-best 4-18 from Scott Borthwick led a Durham squeeze before an unbroken stand of 48 off the final 20 balls of the innings by Lewis Hill (31*, 15b, 4x4, 1x6) and Rob Taylor (17*, 9b, 1x4, 1x6) helped the Foxes post 146-6.
Clint McKay (4-0-21-3) excelled as the Foxes started with promise but Mustard and Gordon Muchall shared 86 for the third wicket in 9.5 overs to break the back of the chase.
Leicestershire Foxes made one enforced change as Taylor came in for Kevin O’Brien, who was due to play for Ireland against Afghanistan today until the weather intervened in Belfast.
The Jets sprang a late surprise as Mark Wood, who was not in the original 13, received a late call-up to play alongside England colleague Ben Stokes.
Mark Pettini lost the toss and was immediately in the action as Mark Stoneman invited the Foxes to bat first. Chris Rushworth started the game with five dots but a no-ball for overstepping then proved costly as the captain pulled the free hit for four.
Cosgrove (12, 11b) played two nice strokes off Paul Coughlin – a deft cut and a lofted off-drove after using his feet – but was then well-held by Michael Richardson at short fine leg off the young seamer.
Number three Delport picked up where he left off on Friday with a powerful cut for four off Wood before the bowler claimed Durham’s second wicket as Pettini (7, 17b) nicked Wood to Mustard at the end of the 5th over.
Another good stroke from Delport saw a four gathered through mid-off before the powerplay was out, while Behardien, in his first bat in a Foxes shirt, struck through the same area in Wood’s second over.
Although the South Africa international then lofted over mid-on at the start of the 9th over, the seamers had done a good job to restrict the Foxes to 62-2 after 10.
Stoneman opted to introduce the leg-spin of Borthwick and immediately reaped the reward as Delport (19, 19b) was leg before on the sweep.
The combination of Jennings - whose four-over spell of medium pace, cutters and off-breaks came at a cost of just 24 runs - and Borthwick between overs 9-15 proved particularly hard to get away.
With no boundaries coming in that period, the pressure told as Borthwick struck twice in his third over. Ben Raine (10) pulled the twirler to Stokes at deep mid-wicket before Behardien (29, 30b) advanced down the wicket and saw his off stump disturbed.
That meant the Foxes had two batsmen at the crease who had yet to receive a ball with just 33 balls of the innings remaining.
Tom Wells made 6 before becoming Borthwick’s fourth victim courtesy of a catch by Richardson at long-on, and by the time the leg-spinner had finished his stint, the Foxes were 100-6 with 18 balls to go.
To underline Durham’s discipline, there were 56 balls between a pulled four by Taylor in the antepenultimate over and the previous boundary.
The stroke proved to be the catalyst of a wonderful ending for the Foxes with more runs coming from each of the final two overs than Borthwick’s entire spell – 19.
Hill struck the first four balls of the 19th over to the fence, including three good hits behind square on the leg-side and a clever reverse sweep, before both the ‘keeper and Taylor struck maximums in the last over.
Their good work gave the bowlers something to work with and McKay struck in the first over, Stoneman (4) top-edging to a diving Raine at third man.
Mustard followed Stoneman in cutting his first ball for four before Stokes powerfully pulled Raine for a brace of boundaries in the second over.
It was critical that the Foxes kept Stokes’ stay to a minimum and after a good first over from Taylor, a change of ends for McKay brought about his demise. The left-hander chipped a trademark slower delivery in the direction of extra cover and Neil Dexter took a good diving catch.
Taylor, Raine and Dexter continued the good work and the Jets were 37-2 after seven overs with Muchall surviving a run out chance in the latter’s first over.
However, the Jets doubled their score before the halfway mark as 16 runs were yielded off both the 8th and 10th overs. Mustard struck three maximums over mid-wicket before deftly guiding a four down to third man to take the stand with Muchall past 50.
The opener then got down on one knee to sweep the returning Behardien for four in the 11th and he recorded a 35-ball fifty by flicking Rob Sayer past short fine leg for two. Muchall hit the off-spinner for a brace of fours through mid-on and straight mid-wicket respectively as the Jets gathered 16 for the third time in five overs.
When Dexter nipped one past the angled bat of Muchall (32, 27b), the equation was under a run a ball with seven overs to go.
McKay returned to collect a third wicket by trapping Ryan Pringle (0, 2b) in front and only conceded three in the process. The first five balls of Dexter’s last over cost two but the Jets got back on track.
Mustard played a reverse sweep for four to put a small dent in the figures of Dexter (4-0-26-1) before Richardson struck a three and four as McKay completed a fine afternoon’s work.
That left a target of 22 off 24 balls and although Richardson chipped the economical Taylor to Wells at deep extra cover, Coughlin and Mustard cleared the ropes as the Jets won with nine balls to spare.
The result means that Leicestershire remain on seven points and the Foxes will need to bounce back in the East Midlands derby against Notts Outlaws at the FCG on Tuesday (6.30pm start).
Bowling figures for Leicestershire: McKay 4-0-21-3, Raine 4-0-38-0, Taylor 3.3-0-19-1, Dexter 4-0-26-1, Behardien 2-0-24-0, Sayer 1-0-16-0.
