Running Foxes earn a draw at the Ageas Bowl
Sat 22 May 2021
DAY FOUR | Hampshire CCC 233 v Leicestershire CCC 84
POINTS | Hampshire 12, Leicestershire 11
SCORECARD | Available HERE
REPORT | Ed Barnes and Alex Evans stood strong as Leicestershire’s final wicket partnership to avoid the follow-on from the hosts, as the Running Foxes claim a draw at the Ageas Bowl.
Hampshire forfeited their innings leaving Leicestershire needing 150 runs from 22 overs for the win.
Not for the first time during this round of LV= County Championship action, the weather hampered the scheduling of the day with delays commencing from the morning.
Following a lengthy delay in the morning consuming the entirety of the morning session, the players took lunch at its proper time of 1:00pm with a view to a third inspection of the day taking place at 1:25pm.
Following the latest inspection, play was scheduled to start at 2:00pm, with tea scheduled for 4:00pm and 59 overs left to play in the day.
Kyle Abbott bowled the first ball of the day at 13:58 to finish on the tenth over of County’s first innings, as Rishi Patel watches the delivery down the leg side.
The day was only 13 deliveries before Hampshire made the breakthrough, with Abbott claiming his fourth wicket of the innings.
Swindells (8) was the man out, as he nicked the South-African’s delivery through to Liam Dawson at second slip who smartly caught the Leicestershire man at second slip.
Two deliveries later and the players we forced off the field once again as the rain restarted at the Ageas Bowl.
The delay lasted 16 minutes before the players re-emerged for Mohammad Abbas to finish his seventh over of the innings.
In his eighth of the innings, Abbas claimed his third wicket as Dawson took his second catch of the day. Chris Wright (3) edged the Pakistan international to Dawson at second slip as the Running Foxes were now 40 for seven.
Gavin Griffiths came out and joined Patel (16*) in the middle, with County in need of a partnership to have a chance of getting themselves over the line of the follow-on target set at 84.
The partnership was the hardest break in terms of balls faced, as it lasted 28 deliveries before Griffiths fell to Abbott for 1.
With the wicket, Abbott claimed his five-fer with figures of 9.1-1-38-5, and Ed Barnes joined Patel (22*) in the middle.
Eleven deliveries into the ninth wicket partnership passed before the rain returned once again on the South coast, prompting the umpires to remove the players from the field of play.
The latest delay lasted 22 minutes with seven overs lost as Abbott resumed his eleventh over of the innings.
Patel came out and posted his fifth boundary of the innings after steering Abbott down to third man and brought up the Running Foxes’ fifty.
With the boundary, County went on to 52, equalling Leicestershire’s lowest score against Hampshire “ which, was then surpassed thanks to a bye off the bowling of Mohammad Abbas.
Despite putting on a rugged display, Patel (27) was the next man to fall victim to Abbott who claimed his sixth wicket of the innings. Patel feathered one through to Lewis McManus who took the simple catch.
Alex Evans joined Barnes (1*) in the middle to form the final Running Foxes’ partnership with County sitting 30 runs shy of reaching the follow-on target.
The duo spent a total of 51 minutes in the middle together in what was a calmly crafted, resilient display from the Running Foxes’ numbers 10 and 11 batsmen.
The partnership saw off the opening attack of Abbott and Abbas who has already dissected the nine other Leicestershire batsmen, as Keith Barker and Brad Wheal were introduced into the attack.
Barnes posted two boundaries, one from both Abbott and Abbas with the majority of his and Evans’ runs being scored as singles as they closed in on the follow-on score of 84.
It was Barnes who saw the Running Foxes over the line to avoid the follow-on as he tucked Wheal away through the leg-side for a single to bring up County’s 84th run.
County’s most fruitful partnership was then broken, as Evans (10) feathered a Wheal delivery through to the McManus who took the grab.
With the Running Foxes’ final wicket, tea was brought up, in which the decision was made by the hosts to forfeit their innings meaning Leicestershire would immediately open their second innings targeting 150 runs from the remaining 22 overs for the win.
The Running Foxes, though, sent Hassan Azad and Sam Evans out to open the batting, maybe signalling their intent by not making any changes to their top order.
Azad and Evans started in typical fashion, feeling out the bowlers and the new ball and were not in any rush to begin the 150-run chase.
Following the methodical start by the Running Foxes, Abbott struck to claim his eighth wicket of the innings as he pinned Evans infront for eight.
Leicestershire were 13 for one as Marcus Harris joined Azad (1*) in the middle.
The second wicket partnership, just like the first, was in no rush to score runs with their focus on seeing the day out.
From the 49 deliveries faced, only 13 runs were added before Hampshire skipper James Vince called time after 17 second innings overs.
Leicestershire left the Ageas Bowl with a draw to take back to the Uptonsteel County Ground as they now prepare for the return of Members and fans ahead of the Middlesex clash.
FIGURES (1st inns) | Abbas 16-6-193, Abbott 14-2-47-6, Wheal 3.5-2-4-1, Barker 2-0-10-0
FIGURES (2nd inns) | Abbott 6-3-6-1, Abbas 8-4-8-0, Barker 3-1-4-0
TEAM | Hassan Azad, Sam Evans, Marcus Harris, Colin Ackermann (C), Lewis Hill, Rishi Patel, Harry Swindells (wk), Chris Wright, Ed Barnes, Gavin Griffiths, Alex Evans
HAMPSHIRE CCC | Mohammad Abbas, Kyle Abbott, Tom Alsop, Keith Barker, Liam Dawson, Ian Holland, Lewis McManus (wk), Sam Northeast, James Vince (C), Joe Weatherley, Brad Wheal.
IMAGES | Thanks to John Mallett of Outside Off for providing the images throughout the game.
