Defeat at Trent Bridge as the Notts Outlaws secure a five-wicket win.

Notts Outlaws moved to the top of the Group A table after a five-wicket victory over Leicestershire Foxes maintained their 100 per cent winning start from three matches in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup.

Ben Martindale top-scored with 50, all-rounder Lyndon James hit an unbeaten 38 and South African Test wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne made 35 as Leicestershire’s below-par 199 was overhauled with 45 balls to spare at Trent Bridge.

Left-arm spinner Joe Pocklington impressed with a career-best four for 40, including the key wickets of in-form Hamza Shaikh and South African all-rounder Ruan de Swardt, as the Foxes were dismissed in 48.2 overs.

Captain Stephen Eskinazi carried his bat for an unbeaten 93 but only Shaikh (35), who has hit 263 runs in his first four Leicestershire innings, offered any meaningful support. Brett Hutton and James claimed two wickets each.  

Hutton’s opening spell claimed the wickets of Rishi Patel, caught behind off an inside edge, and Ian Holland, who nicked one that moved away as Leicestershire, who chose to bat first, toiled to 26 for two in the powerplay. Dillon Pennington was as impressive as his new ball partner, conceding just seven runs in five overs.

On a slow pitch, Eskinazi and Shaikh added 66 for the third wicket but it took them 18 and a half overs in the face of some consistently tight bowling.  The pressure built by spinners Pocklington and Farhan Ahmed then yielded a breakthrough as Shaikh tried to break the shackles and was caught at long-off.

Eskinazi found some joy against Ahmed but the Foxes lost another key man as De Swardt, fresh from a List A career-best 126 against Lancashire on Sunday, cannoned the ball into his stumps attempting to reverse sweep.

Jonny Tattersall and Ben Cox seemed to look ruefully at the pitch after being bowled by Pennington and James. Ben Green lofted James for six over midwicket but then chipped straight to extra cover. Ajaz Patel sent up a steepling leg side catch to give Pocklington his fourth.

Mo Rizvi helped a James slower ball to fine leg and Alex Green was run out without facing a ball, leaving Eskinazi unbeaten.

The Outlaws started briskly, their batting powerplay worth double Leicestershire’s at 52 for two, despite losing opener George Munsey second ball when the Scotland international hit tamely to mid-off. Martindale and Freddie McCann shared nine boundaries before McCann was caught behind as Alex Green found some extra bounce.

Skipper Haseeb Hameed was caught on the long-off boundary after a scratchy 20 and the home side lost a fourth wicket when Martindale, having completed his second List A half-century, fell victim to some nice work behind the stumps by Cox as former Kent leg-spinner Rizvi picked up his first wicket for Leicestershire.

Rizvi (2-42) struck again as Verreynne popped back a simple return catch but with the Foxes a bowler light after De Swardt suffered a leg muscle injury, their total ultimately proved too few to defend, leaving them with two wins and two defeats from four.