Foxes Survive Late Lancashire Fightback For Dramatic First Blast Victory

Leicestershire Foxes recorded their first win in this year’s Vitality Blast when they survived an extraordinary fightback to defeat Lancashire by two wickets at Emirates Old Trafford. But the conclusion of the game belies the bland result.

Requiring 146 to win, the Foxes were 131 for three with 19 balls left in the contest. But Chris Green bowled Nick Kelly for 29 to start a dramatic collapse that saw Saqib Mahmood take two wickets in two balls and George Balderson two in an over to leave the ninth-wicket pair, Ian Holland and Josh Davey needing ten off the last over.

The situation was complicated by the fact that Sol Budinger could not bat after his collision with Liam Trevaskis earlier in the game but a boundary apiece from Holland and Davey and two scrambled singles saw them home with one ball to spare.

Over three hours earlier, Lancashire’s innings had begun poorly.  Matty Hurst was caught at backward point by Rishi Patel off Trevaskis for one in the first over; Keaton Jennings was bowled by Ian Holland for 10; and Liam Livingstone, playing his first match since an Indian Premier League outing on April 18, was caught at point by Ben Mike off Trevaskis for 15.

The home side finished the powerplay on 30 for three with Trevaskis having taken two for 12 in three overs. Three balls later things went from grim to ghastly for the home side when Ben McDermott cut Ben Green to point where Holland took a fine catch to leave Lancashire on 36 for four.

The fifth-wicket pair of Chris Green and Joe Moores had added only 21 runs to that total by the midpoint of the 20-over innings but had taken the score to 94 for four after 13.4 overs when a horrific collision between Trevaskis and Budinger on the midwicket boundary halted the game and the Leicestershire opener was taken from the field.

When the game resumed, Moores went on the attack, reaching his maiden Lancashire fifty off 35 balls and making 55 before was caught at deep square leg by substitute fielder Jonny Tattersall off Ashton Turner for 55, thus ending his 80-run partnership with Green and leave Lancashire 116 for five.

The usual exchange of runs and wickets filled the final overs and Lancashire ended on 145 for nine, which hardly appeared competitive, even on a used wicket, but was still a higher target than had appeared likely at the midpoint of the innings. Trevaskis finished with two for 20 and Davey two for 25.

Pressed into service as a substitute opener, Mike made 21 off 12 balls before he was caught by George Balderson, who held on to a steepling catch on the leg side off Mahmood. Stevie Eskinazi then put on 32 with Patel before picking out Moores on the deep midwicket boundary off Hartley.

Patel, though, continued to take the attack to the bowlers and had made 40 off 27 balls before perishing on the short midwicket boundary to Livingstone for 40, Harry Singh taking the catch. But the Foxes No3 had given his side’s pursuit necessary momentum and this was maintained by Nick Kelly and Ashton Turner, the latter having played for Lancashire in this competition last year

The fourth-wicket pair brought the run-rate required down to roughly six an over and all seemed straightforward for the Foxes until Green bowled Kelly for 29 with the final ball of the 17th over and Mahmood removed both Turner for 21 and Ben Green first ball with the first two deliveries of the 18th. Balderson then dismissed Cox and Trevaskis to raise home supporters’ hopes. But they were soon dashed.