Steelbacks T20 Match Preview - 01/06/2022
Tue 31 May 2022
When we last met:
After a comprehensive victory at Wantage Road earlier in the season, Leicestershire were unable to make it back to back wins against our local rivals Northamptonshire, who got revenge in the last meeting between the two teams.
Winning the toss and batting first, the Running Foxes could only post 138 all out from 19.5 overs, with Harry Swindells (32, 16b) being the most impressive batter in our line-up.
In reply, several early wickets from Naveen-ul-Haq gave us hope - he was on a hat-trick in the fifth over - but unbeaten innings from Rob Keogh and Saif Zaib took the visitors home by five wickets with 10 balls to spare. Naveen (2-27) and Scott Steel (2-17) impressed for the Foxes with the ball.
Head to head:
Ben Mike vs Tom Taylor:
Former Fox Taylor moved to Northants several years ago and his absence has allowed fellow pace bowling all-rounder Ben Mike to thrive.
Mike's progression this season has been notable across formats, and has currently taken five wickets so far in the Vitality Blast at an average of 9.00 and an economy rate of 6.42 - simply stunning numbers. With the bat in T20 cricket, Mike has also impressed, both this season and previously. Across 2020 and 2021, no batter across all those batting numbers 7&8 scored more T20 Blast runs than Mike, and so far in the 2022 season, he's scored 66 runs for just one dismissal as well.
As for Taylor, he's been batting higher up the order for Northants - number six against Birmingham Bears and carded seven versus Durham - but has yet to make an impact with the willow this season in T20 cricket. With the ball, the ex-Leicestershire man will want to improve on an economy rate north of 11 per over this season, and his career data suggests that will be the case, going for 9.69 in the Blast since he made his debut in the format in 2020 (for Leicestershire).
Head Coach Paul Nixon names an unchanged 14-man contingent.
Squad: Ackermann *, Ahmed, Davis, Griffiths, Hill +, Kimber, Lilley, Mike, Naveen, Parkinson, Patel, Rutherford, Steel, Walker.
