Nixon reflects on Rapids win

Leicestershire Foxes got back to winning ways in the Vitality Blast following an emphatic bowling and fielding performance against Worcestershire Rapids at Blackfinch New Road.

The Foxes ran out winners by 33 runs after bowling the hosts out in the final over for 119. It was an all-round performance from the bowling attack with the wickets shared between five of the six bowlers, and Dieter Klein bowling the Foxes first maiden of the competition.

Head Coach Paul Nixon was delighted with the result. He said: “That is the double over Worcestershire now following the win in the 50-over game, which is wonderful.

“It was a real streetwise performance from the lads. I am delighted with the way we went about our bowling.

“The way we used the spin in the powerplay and took the pace off the ball, we executed really well. We were excellent.”

The Foxes posted a score of 152 in their innings, giving the Rapids a testing chase for the win. However, Nixon admitted that the Foxes fell narrowly short of their desired target.

He said: “We were probably 10 or 12 short – we wanted 160 and above in an ideal world. But the way we took wickets in the powerplay up front was crucial, and we have not done that many times.”

“Callum Parkinson bowled beautifully. He he has not had many good wickets to bowl on for a spinner and the way he took the pace off and put the pace on was very, very clever and he took some crucial wickets at crucial times.

“I am also delighted for Colin Ackermann, to use himself more in the powerplay was crucial. He mixed the bowling really well and I felt that he captained the side brilliantly.”

The pitch offered a bit for both fast and slow bowling but also allowed for strokeplay, as Arron Lilley showed when he took to the crease.

The Worcestershire CCC groundstaff had worked wonders after the recent flooding, and although the outfield was understandably a little soft in places, Blackfinch New Road looked a picture.

Nixon said: “Anything across the square, it ran away really quickly and then it was heavy in the outfield. If you hit the pockets it did not run away. But we used the short boundary well and had some great partnerships.

“We did have quite a few overs of six or under, but the main thing is that we took a lot of multi-boundary overs and we kept them to about 13 overs of six or under which is brilliant bowling.

“It was a real fighting performance with bat and ball, and I am so pleased for the lads who have worked hard.

“We have beaten Notts [Outlaws] and we have beaten Worcestershire [Rapids], two of the top three sides in white ball cricket in the country, and we can take great confidence from it.”

Seam bowlers Gavin Griffiths and Will Davis earned themselves career-best bowling figures in T20 cricket finishing with three for 23 and three for 24 respectively, and Dieter Klein posted the Foxes’ first maiden of the competition this year.

Nixon said: “Gavin [Griffiths] and Will [Davis] have come in after bowling brilliantly in practice.

“You want guys to stand up and be counted. They have put their hands up and said that they want to play in this side and want to make match-winning contributions and that’s what we need.

“You don’t see many maidens in this format of cricket and to bowl a maiden in that middle period was brilliant – it just builds so much pressure for the guys at the other end.

“It was crucial we didn't allow their big-hitters to make starts, and our attack hit their straps from the start.”

* Leicestershire Foxes now look forward to the home fixture against Birmingham Bears on Wednesday (August 7). The Foxes go into the fixture having lost the opposing fixture at Edgbaston and will be looking for redemption in front of the Fischer County Ground. You can buy tickets for the game HERE.

** You can watch the full interview with Paul Nixon HERE.