Leicestershire Foxes Metro Bank Cup at Trent Bridge Win 4 pts Report

 

POCKLINGTON BEST TOO HOT FOR FOXES

Notts made it nine white ball wins on the trot at home beating Leicestershire by 5 wickets with 45 balls to spare at Trent Bridge today. It was their 500th win in List A cricket. They lie top of Group A with three wins out of three in the Metro Bank competition.

Leicestershire won the toss and elected to bat in front of a crowd of around 1,500. With Slater coming down with a hamstring injury, George Munsey was re-engaged at short notice to play the two fifty over games this week. With Dillon Pennington, playing in only his second List A game for Notts, being released for the game by Welsh Fire, Byron Hatton-Lowe was omitted from the final eleven.

Hutton (Radcliffe Road End) and Pennington bowled extremely well first thing bowling with good control and offering the Leicestershire top order no “freebies”. In the 3rd over Hutton had Ŕishi Patel (1) inside edging him with Verreynne taking the catch;  1 for 1. Hutton opening with two maidens. In the 9th over, Holland (14) edged a moving Hutton delivery to Verreynne, 23 for 2. The Foxes, struggling, were 26 for 2 after 10 overs.

After a spell of 5 overs for 7, Pennington was replaced by James from the Pavilion End. After bowling 7 2 22 2 during his opening spell Hutton was replaced by Hayes for the 15th over. Shaikh hit successive fours off Hayes; 10 off the 17th over. Hayes (2-0-13-0) was not required to bowl again. Farhan replaced Hayes for the 19th over. James bowled 5 overs for 18 in his opening swell Pocklington replacing him for the 22nd over. Leicestershire 79 for 2 off 25 overs.

Leicestershire never really got going on the slow used pitch and were to lose their last 8 wickets for 110 runs. The two spinners put a brake on the scoring. Shaikh (35) was caught at long off by James off the impressive Pocklington, 89 for 3 in the 28th over. The 3^rd wicket stand of 66 with skipper Eskinazi turned out to the highest of the day.

The in-form De Swardt (4), on the sweep, comically played on to Pocklington, 104 for 4 in the 30th over. Eskinazi reached his 50 off 93 balls with a single off Farhan in the 31st over. Pennington returned for the 33rd over. Eskinazi hit Pocklington for six over mid-wicket – the only boundary he conceded off his 60 balls; 11 off the 34th over. James replaced Pocklington for the 36th over. Tattersall (18) was castled by Pennington losing his off stump; 145 for 5 in the 37th over. Seven balls later, Cox (2) lost his off stump to a James delivery that moved in considerably; 149 for 6 in the 38th over. The ball of the day! Farhan (8-0-39-0) returned for the 39th over. Ben Green hit James for six over mid-wicket. Leicestershire 161 for 6 off 40 overs.

Pocklington came back for the 41st over and had Ben Green caught low down at cover by Munsey, 162 for 7. Ajaz Patel (2) skied Pocklington (10 0 40 4) and Martindale caught the steepler at deep square leg, 164 for 8 off 41 overs and a career best for Pocklington. Hutton went for 10 in the 44th over. Hutton (10 2 40 2) conceded seven off his last over. Rizvi was caught at short fine leg by Hutton off James;  198 for 9 off 48 overs. Alex Green (0) was dismissed for a diamond duck having not faced a delivery. Eskinazi (93* off 141 balls; 7x4, 1x6) played a Pennington (9.2-1-25-1) delivery to substitute Byron Hatton-Lowe at long leg, Alex Green turned for a second which wasn’t there and having sent back did not beat Hatton-Lowe’s throw to Verreynne at the stumps. Leicestershire 199 all out off 48.2 overs. Eskinazi became the 64^th batsman to carry his bat in List A cricket – and the first Fox to do so. Brian Bolus, achieved the feat in Notts’ first-ever List A game against Yorkshire at Acklam Park, Middlesbrough in a Gillette game in 1963 and 1009 games later this was the second time the feat had been achieved in a Notts List A game. Eskinazi, you may remember 18 days ago batted right through the Foxes’ 20 overs innings of 143-7 scoring 52* off 41 balls. Not forgetting of course his 100 in the championship match at Grace Road in early May.

Leicestershire had got an under-par total on what was not the easiest wicket to score fast on. Sensible batting for Notts was the order of the day. However off the second delivery of the innings, Munsey (0) was caught at extra cover by Ben Green off Holland (Pavilion End), 0 for 1 – a poor shot! Martindale hit two consecutive fours off Ben Green, 10 off the 2nd over. McCann and Martindale attacked the wayward Leicestershire bowling, the 50-partnership coming up in 46 balls. De Swardt replaced Holland for the 9th over and conceded two runs in his two overs before going off with a leg muscle injury. Alex Green came on from the Radcliffe Road End and McCann (26) thin edged him to keeper Cox; 51 for 2. Notts 52 for 2 off 10 overs.

Hameed hit two consecutive boundaries to point off Alex Green; 16 off the 12th over. Ajaz Patel came on for the 13th over. Martindale found the ropes twice in the 17th over bowled by Ajaz Patel. The first was an uppish drive which just went over the head of deep mid-off and the second an edged four passed the vacant slip position. Hameed (20) gave it away skying Ajaz Patel to be caught at long off by Holland, 91 for 3 in the 19th over. Verreynne hit Alex Green for four through backward point to take Notts to three figures in the 20th over.

Leg-spinner Mo Rizvi came on for the 22nd over. Martindale (50 off 69 balls; 7x4) reached his 50 with a single off Ajaz Patel (10 0 38 1) but next ball momentarily lost his concentration and was smartly stumped by Cox off Rizvi; 120 for 4 in the 26th over. Verreynne hit Rizvi for a straight six and pulled him for four through square leg, 12 off the 30th over. Alex Green (10 0 53 1) returned for the 33rd over. James who had joined Verreynne was batting sensibly and it came as a surprise when Verreynne (35) was caught and bowled by Rizvi (10 0 42 2);  155 for 5 in the 34th over. 

James and Farhan made sure that no more wickets were lost adding an unbroken 45 runs in 8.5 overs. Notts 185 for 5 off 40 overs. Holland (5.3-0-30-1) and Ben Green (5-0-35-0) returned for the 41st and 42nd overs respectively and a four through square leg by James (38*) off Holland saw Notts home at 17:37. Notts 200 for 5 off 42.3 overs with Farhan unbeaten on 19. A comfortable win for the home team against a somewhat bedraggled and dispirited Leicestershire team which had lost their fourth game to Notts this season. MAG

George Munsey has joined the squad for the next two games as replacement for the injured Jack Haynes and Ben Slater.

As predicted, the Welsh franchise has not required Dillon so far and so with all necessary criteria being met, this allows him to be available to his own county.

The full squad to face the Foxes:

Haseeb Hameed

Freddie McCann

Ben Martindale

Geeorge Munsey

Kyle Verreynne

Lyndon James

Joe Pocklington

Farhan Ahmed

Brett Hutton

Dillon Pennington

Byron Hatton-Lowe

James Hayes

Tom Giles

Sam Seecharan