Notts Outlaws | T20 Match Preview - 02/07/2023

Leicestershire’s last Vitality Blast fixture of 2023 sees the Foxes make the short trip across the East Midlands to Trent Bridge, taking on Notts Outlaws.

The Foxes are aiming to bounce back from Friday evening’s defeat at Derbyshire, while Notts have their qualification hopes on the line.

The home side currently occupy fourth place, but know only a win will guarantee their spot in the knockout stages of this year’s competition.

Last Time We Met:

The Outlaws took home the points at Uptonsteel County Ground last month, recording a 22-run victory.

Batting first, the visitors were led by Joe Clarke’s 72 from just 41 balls, with Tom Scriven taking a career-best 4 for 21 for the Foxes.

In reply, opener Nick Welch and Peter Handscomb made 32 and 28 respectively, while Wiaan Mulder crunched a speedy 38, but the side fell short of the target largely thanks to Steven Mullaney’s economical spell of 4-0-18-3.

Head-to-Head:

Peter Handscomb came into the T20 setup midway through the campaign but has certainly caught the eye in more ways than one.

A tidy gloveman, an orchestrator in the field and a man capable of scoring valuable runs, the Australian has been a key addition to the team. He’s averaging 32 from his four innings so far, striking at above 130 as the man tasked with anchoring the Foxes’ innings from ball one.

Elsewhere, Notts batsman Joe Clarke has proven his T20 pedigree for many a year. He’s averaging 35.25 so far this term, boosted by a healthy strike rate of 162.06, with his 423 runs the most of any Outlaws batter this campaign.

Squad:

Ed Barnes picked up a nasty blow while bowling on Friday evening, meaning he drops out of the travelling party. The Foxes are otherwise unchanged.

Leicestershire Foxes: Ackermann, Budinger, Finan, Handscomb*+, Hill, Kimber, Mulder, Parkinson, Patel, Salisbury, Scriven, Walker, Welch.