Leicestershire Foxes Vitality T20 Blast at Trent Bridge No Result 1 pt

 

05/07

RAIN THWARTS OUTLAWS 

Persistent rain frustrated Notts last night with their home Vitality Blasy contest against Leicestershire ending as a No Result after being well placed at 175-7 after 17 overs when the rain arrived.

Leicestershire won the toss and elected to bowl in front of another poor crowd; Notts must have lost a fortune in this year’s T20 competition. Notts brought in Duckett and star Afghan Fazalhaq Farooqi for Hales and Lister. Leicestershire had Jimmy Neesham and Paul Stirling making their county debuts in place of Mulder (playing in the USA) and Handscomb (injured). Sam Wood, the 19-year-old, right-arm seamer who took 5-26 against Notts Seconds at Welbeck on Tuesday was making his Foxes debut.

Skipper Joe Clarke monopolised the early scoring hitting Stirling’s (Pavilion End) off spin to the mid-wicket boundary, seven off the first over. Light drizzle started to fall and remained throughout the rest of the Notts innings. Clarke hit Hull for four through long leg, six off the 2nd over. Clarke found the long leg ropes once more this time off Mike, eight off the third over. Clarke pulled Hull for successive legside boundaries and then for six over point. Martindale was caught on the midwicket ropes by Goldsworthy of Hull for just a single, 36 for 1 off 4 overs. Duckett, playing his first Blast game since 3rd July 2022 at New Road cover drove Walker for 4 and two balls later Clarke hit him to the point ropes, 10 off the 5th over. Clarke launched Neesham for six over long on. Clarke pulled the last ball of the powerplay for a four through long leg. Notts 59 for 1 after 6 overs.

Clarke got to his 50 off 26 balls with a single off Goldsworthy. Next ball, Duckett hit the next ball for a four through square leg. Clarke found the mid-wicket ropes, 12 off the 7th over. Duckett hit a four extra cover off Kimber and then found the long on ropes, 13 off the Kimber’s sole over. Clarke hit Neesham (2-0-24-0) for a huge legside six into the Fox Road Stand, 11 off the 9th over. Walker (2-0-27-0) bowled a beamer which Clarke hit for 6 over square leg, Clarke was bowled off the next ball, a free hit. Clarke then hit Walker for successive fours through point. Notts 112 for 1 off 10 overs.

Clarke (79 off 41 balls, 10x4, 4x6) attempting a scooped shot was bowled by Mike, 112 for 2. Not a shot he plays well, a daft end to an excellent innings. Haynes hit Mike for 4 through backward square leg, six off the 12th over. Duckett hit Wood for four through backward point and then Haynes hit Wood for four through backward square leg, 13 off the right-arm seamers only over. Duckett (39 off 21 balls; 5x4, 1x6) hit Goldsworthy for six over mid-wicket but attempting a repeat shot was caught by Budinger on the mid-wicket ropes off Goldsworthy, 140 for 3. Moores miserable run continued when he was caught at deep square leg by Kimber off Goldsworthy for a golden duck. Moores’ confidence seemingly shot to pieces. Patterson-White hit Stirling (2-0-15-0) for four through extra cover, eight off the 14th over.

Haynes (18) top edged an attempted mid-wicket hit and was caught and bowled by Goldsworthy, 149 for 5 in the 15th over. Patterson-White pulled Goldsworthy to the mid-wicket ropes, seven off the 15th over. Patterson-White hit Hull (3-0-30-1) for six over mid-wicket, 10 off the 16th over including a leg bye. Patterson-White hit Goldsworthy (4-0-36-3) for a straight four. Seven off the 17th over. Mike (2-0-16-1) bowled two wides and with the rain getting heavier, play was suspended at 19:43. Notts well placed on 175 for 5 off 17 overs with Patterson-White, impressing once more with the willow, on 26 and Montgomery on 4. The Foxes had bowled poorly and used eight bowlers.

The rain stopped briefly and play was due to restart at 20:45 with Leicestershire requiring 181 in 16 overs. The ground staff were rolling in the wicket and Notts were practising when the rain returned in earnest at 20:40. The game was abandoned by umpires Mallender and Ashraf at 21:10 with Notts gaining a point. Frustrating as Notts looked on course for victory with Duckett in particular proving how much he has been missed, he is now a far better player than Hales. Remember though how lucky Notts were against Durham earlier in the competition. Notts remain in eighth place and cannot afford to lose one of their last five remaining games. The weather forecast for the home clash against Warwickshire on Sunday is dire.MAG

04/07

On to Block Two of the Blast and it can't get worse than Block One, because there are fewer games but it would be nice to see some improvement from the Outlaws.

Hales has gone, Duckett maybe in for one game and Farooqi replaces Lister. Again it would be nice to see the coach try more new faces to find the right blend for the future, but this is Peter Moores that we're talking about...

It would be great if the weather could improve too, so avoid the BBC weather app, which has umbrella weather for Friday evening at Trent Bridge and for Sunday afternoon too. Where is the summer, have the all powerful ECB scheduled it just for the H*ndred? #GeoEngineering

Visitors Leicestershire Foxes are currently third in the group...

Moores' squad:

Joe Clarke

Ben Duckett

Ben Martindale

Jack Haynes

Matthew Montgomery

Lyndon James

Liam Patterson-White

Calvin Harrison

Olly Stone

Fazalhaq Farooqi

Luke Fletcher

Ben Slater

Toby Pettman

Tom Moores

The Foxes' Squad:

(to be read out in your best Colin Hazeldine voice)

Former Your Notts Outlaws, Sol Budinger

Former Rapids, Ben Cox

On loan from Hampshire, Scott Currie

Sam Evans

On loan from Somerset, Lewis Goldsworthy

Josh Hull, isn't he supposed to be playing at Beckenham today? and there's emu?

Former Notts Second XI, former captain of Loughborough MCCU, Lincolnshire's own, Louis 43 Kimber

Former Notts age groups, Ben, son of Greg, Mike

New Zealand T20 Royalty making his Foxes debut, Jimmy Neesham

Rishi, I've not lost my seat and I'm captain too, Patel

Irish International and franchise T20 circus globe trotter, making his Foxes debut, Paul Stirling

Harry, Trent Bridge saved my job if not my life, Swindells

Former Glamorgan, the trekking Italian, Roman Walker

Sam, not that one but one from the Foxes academy, Wood