Sunshine after the Raine
Fri 27 May 2016
NatWest T20 Blast Matchday 2: Yorkshire Vikings v Leicestershire Foxes
Ben Raine led a Leicestershire Foxes invasion at Yorkshire Vikings, recording career-bests with both bat and ball as the team landed a convincing 54-run victory in the NatWest T20 Blast.
The Foxes struck nine maximums in the final 39 deliveries to record 174-7, Raine hitting two of those sixes in posting a career-best 48 off 43 balls after being promoted to bat at number four.
Niall O’Brien (39 off 21 balls, 4x6) and Lewis Hill (24* off 10 balls, 3x6) were the other Foxes batsmen who injected impetus after the Vikings had initially kept things tight with the ball.
Raine then showed his all-round abilities by claiming 3-7 from 3.4 overs as well as taking a brilliant catch to dismiss the dangerous Jack Leaning.
Although Raine was the stand-out performer, there were contributions throughout, including from Mark Cosgrove (20 off 11 balls), Kevin O’Brien (21 off 16 balls and 4-0-27-3) and Neil Dexter (4-0-26-2).
The Foxes are still to win a toss in 2016 and were invited to bat first at Headingley on a pleasant evening. There was one change to the side that lost to Northants with Hill coming in for Rob Taylor.
Tim Bresnan gave the Vikings a flying start, sending down a wicket maiden as captain Mark Pettini (0) was caught by Will Rhodes at point off the fifth ball of the over.
Cosgrove cut a couple of boundaries in debutant James Wainman’s first over and there was a four apiece for the left-hander and Kevin O’Brien in Bresnan’s second offering as the score ticked along to 21-1.
Another boundary came for Cosgrove at the start of the fourth over before he perished in the pursuit of a fifth four, caught at deep square leg by Ben Coad to give Wainman a first competition wicket.
Raine joined Kevin O’Brien, who struck another brace of boundaries down to fine leg and over point respectively as the score moved to 48-2 at the end of the powerplay.
The Vikings continued to peg back the Foxes as Liam Plunkett dismissed Kevin O’Brien in the seventh over, Adil Rashid safely getting under a steepler at mid-on.
Raine and Akmal each collected a four as the Foxes progressed to 72-3 at the halfway stage. Plunkett then struck another blow before his spell was out, Akmal (8) being caught by Gary Ballance.
The England seamer conceded just a single to end with fine figures of 2-23 and only ten came from overs 12 and 13 as the Vikings continued to squeeze through spinners Rashid and Lyth.
Impetus was then injected by the left-handed duo, who added 29 in the next twelve deliveries. Raine and O’Brien struck Lyth down the ground for a four and six respectively before all-rounder Raine clattered the first two balls of the 15th over from Rashid for maximums.
The leg-spinner nearly had instant revenge but Raine was dropped by Plunkett on the mid-wicket boundary off the very next delivery and the Foxes moved to 112-4 after 15 overs.
Rhodes must have thought his luck was out when Niall O’Brien was caught off a no ball and Raine was shelled for a second time. But he picked up a wicket as Raine's innings came to an end two shy of a maiden NatWest T20 Blast 50, Lyth pocketing the catch at long-off.
Niall O’Brien smoked another three sixes, including two consecutive clean straight hits off Coad, but the ‘keeper fell to the young seamer’s next delivery with the score at 145-6, caught by Bresnan at short fine-leg.
Bresnan then picked up his second wicket as Wells (3) holed out to deep mid-wicket. Dexter, coming in at number nine to underline the Foxes’ depth, then found the boundary to take the score beyond 150.
Hill cleared the mid-wicket boundary on three separate occasions as 22 were gathered from the final over - and the Foxes used that feel-good factor in the field.
The team came out all guns blazing as Yorkshire lost their top three batsmen with just 20 on the board in the powerplay period.
Raine bowled a maiden before having Lyth (11) caught at mid-off by Pettini and Kevin O’Brien went on to remove fellow opener Lees (3) with his first delivery. Raine then tempted Rashid (2) to steer through to Niall O’Brien at the end of the sixth over to leave the Vikings requiring 155 from 84 balls.
A brilliant diving catch by Raine at mid-off left the Vikings on 32-4 after 8.1 overs, Wells picking up the key wicket of Leaning (9).
Ballance and Rhodes registered a four apiece but Yorkshire still only yielded 48 off the first half of their innings. The left-handers recorded another boundary each as the pace was picked up but Ballance (17) was then caught by Naik off Kevin O’Brien as he attempted to paddle to the fence.
Bresnan struck his second ball for six to leave a target of 107 off 48, and Rhodes then hit a couple of maximums of his own, but the Vikings were still behind the rate and had little choice but to go for broke.
That approach resulted in more wickets; Bresnan (10) drilled Naik to Dexter at long-on, who then collected a wicket of his own as Plunkett (0) holed out to Kevin O’Brien, who continued a little catcher-turned-bowler spell by disturbing the stumps of Andrew Hodd (1).
All-rounder Dexter collected his second wicket as Rhodes’ valiant innings of 45 off 26 came to an end courtesy of a catch by Wells at mid-off before Raine fittingly had the final say, hitting the leg stump of Coad (1) as the Vikings were bowled out for 120 with eight balls remaining. Wainman ended on 12 not out.
The Foxes next NatWest T20 Blast game is at Derbyshire Falcons a week tonight. The Falcons lost a tight game to Northants Steelbacks this evening having beaten holders Lancashire Lightning in their first fixture.
Foxes bowling figures: McKay 3-0-20-0, Raine 3.4-1-7-3, K O’Brien 4-0-27-3, Dexter 4-0-26-2, Wells 2-0-19-1, Naik 2-0-19-1.
