Pre-season Diary 2016 - Part 1

Leicestershire CCC players, coaches and backroom staff are currently in Dubai for their 2016 pre-season tour. The players are being put through their paces in the nets and in a series of fixtures. We'll keep you updated with the latest from the tour, and the first part of the tour diary is available here: 

Sunday, March 13

The team arrived safely in Dubai and had a pool recovery session followed by a team meeting and training session on Sunday at the ICC Academy.

Monday, March 14

The Leicestershire CCC players had another training session at the ICC Academy on Monday.

Tuesday, March 15 – 50-over game against UAE XI

The first game of the pre-season tour was a good challenge against a competitive United Arab Emirates XI at the Sharjah Stadium. The home side played well to record a five-wicket victory while Leicestershire will have benefitted from their first run out of the season.

Leicestershire batted first and scored 184-9 from their 50-over allocation. Captain Mark Pettini (13) and Angus Robson (8) opened with Paul Horton (16) batting at number three.

Ben Raine top-scored with 36 not out from 47 balls, and Lewis Hill (27), Neil Dexter (26) and Aadil Ali (23) also chipped in. Raine and Zak Chappell (15) put on 34 for the eighth wicket while Rohan Mustafa picked up 3-24 from nine overs for UAE.

Chappell picked up two early wickets in the reply but UAE XI recovered to chase down their target in 40 overs. Wayne White (2) and Rob Sayer (1) collected the other wickets to fall.

Leicestershire: Pettini, Robson, Horton, Dexter, Ali, Hill, White, Raine, Chappell, Naik, Sayer.

Wednesday, March 16

Leicestershire were involved in a thrilling T20 game against Derbyshire in Abu Dhabi today. The Foxes scored 136-8 after being invited to bat first and looked to be heading for victory when reducing Derbyshire to 89-7.

However Tom Poynton hit a quickfire 35 not out off 18 deliveries, including helping to score 17 off the final five balls of the innings, as Derbyshire got the 14 they required at the start of the last over.

Skipper Mark Pettini led the way at the top of the order for his side, making a well-constructed 52 off 44 balls.

Derbyshire chipped away with regular wickets, including three for former Fox Shiv Thakor, but contributions from Tom Wells (20), Lewis Hill (16) and Ben Raine (14*) were useful in support of Pettini.

In reply, spinners James Sykes (4-0-18-1) and Jigar Naik (4-0-24-1) applied the brakes in the middle order, and Wells and Wayne White each claimed 2-30 from their four overs. Raine took a wicket and there was also a run out.

With 26 required off 14 balls and only two wickets in hand, the match looked to be slipping away from Derbyshire.

Poynton had other ideas and scored 16 off the last four balls that he faced including two fours and a six. He was well supported by Tom Taylor (10 not out) as Derbyshire landed a two-wicket success.

The Foxes' next game is another T20 fixture against Yorkshire tomorrow.

Leicestershire: Pettini, Robson, Ali, Horton, Hill, Wells, White, Raine, Chappell, Sykes, Naik.