Leicestershire Foxes Dominates Nottinghamshire in Metro Bank One-Day Cup Opener 2024
Leicestershire Foxes defeated Nottinghamshire Outlaws handily to start their Metro Bank One-Day Cup championship defense.
Rain delays notwithstanding, the Foxes’ outstanding batting display laid the groundwork for a victory guaranteed by the DLS technique.
Nottinghamshire 89 for 6 (Slater 24, Scriven 3-20) lost to Leicestershire 369 for 6 (Hill 81, Budinger 75, James 3-105) by 15 runs (D/L method).
After India Test star Ajinkya Rahane electrified his latest home crowd with a debut innings of 71, the Leicestershire Foxes began their Metro Bank One-Day Cup defence with an unexpected victory over Group B rivals Notts Outlaws. The match came down to the visitors attempting in vain to score 55 runs from 23 balls.
After an impressive display at the bat, where captain Lewis Hill top scored with 81, the Foxes were expected to defend 370. Hill shared partnerships of 79 with 75-scoring Sol Budinger and 82 with Rahane as Leicestershire totaled 369 for 6 from their 50 overs on a pitch that was tinted green. Ben Cox and Ben Mike’s late-game big hitting helped Leicestershire reach their target.
Rain would have prevented the Outlaws’ reply from being trapped at 50 without loss after 10.1 overs, which would have made it a difficult assignment for an inexperienced team to chase 370. If no more plays could have been made, that would have condemned them to a five-run DLS loss. However, after a two and a half-hour break, umpires Simon Widdup and Neil Pratt declared that Notts had enough time to face an additional 3.5 overs, with a revised aim of 105.
With Ben Slater and Freddie McCann, the two batters who were still in the game, out of the game, the visitors escalated the drama by benching them in favor of big-hitters Jack Haynes and Tom Moores. However, Haynes lost his first ball, leg before to Tom Scriven, and new batsman Lyndon James was caught on the mid-wicket boundary. The visitors needed 55 from 23 balls.
After hitting a huge blow to Ben Mike’s midwicket boundary, Liam Patterson-White mishandled and allowed the bowler to make an easy return catch. Matt Montgomery then slashed Scriven in the air, only for Mike to wonderfully catch him as the ball swirled between him and Chris Wright at short third.
After that, Moores hit four boundaries off Mike in four balls, but as the overs ended, the Outlaws were still 16 runs short of their goal. Scriven ended with a 3 for 20 total.
Among the outlaws were three rookies: Rob Lord, an all-rounder who had recently joined, McCann, a 19-year-old, and Farhan Ahmed, an off-spinner who is the brother of Rehan from Leicestershire. At 16 years and 153 days, Farhan is the second youngest player to represent Nottinghamshire in senior cricket. The youngest player, Paul Johnson, was 32 days younger when he made his John Player League debut at Edgbaston against Warwickshire in 1981.
The Foxes will have been more than satisfied with the standard established by their batters, even if the Outlaws were frustrated. While Budinger, who faced 74 balls, had a very controlled effort with 10 fours and a six, wicketkeeper Tom Moores costlyly dropped him for 15 off Luke Fletcher.
Prior to his incredible match-winning century in the championship, Harry Swindells had not play for the Foxes the previous season. He made 35 in the first stand of 95 before mistiming to mid-on off Patterson-White.
After a long while, a diving McCann finally got Budinger, giving Notts a second breakthrough and Farhan, who gave up two sixes in his second over but came back strongly, his first senior wicket.
They reached 256 in less than ten overs when Hill, who struck nine fours and a six, pulled one on from outside off stump to be bowled. That got Rahane to the middle at 174 for two with Hill appearing well set at the other end.
Soon after, Rahane made a quick fifty off 38 balls to show off his skills to his most recent home audience. Before the Australian, who had just cleared the long-on boundary, was skillfully collected by Patterson-White at mid-off for 29 off 21 balls, he and Peter Handscomb combined 48 runs, giving Lord his first wicket.
With a wayward full toss from James that was inelegantly hoicked into the busy hands of McCann at long range, Rahane undid his boundary count of nine, raising the possibility of much more to follow.
With Rahane out of the picture, the Outlaws may have thought they could hold the Foxes to 350 or less, but a stormy end was given by five sixes in the final three overs, three from Cox (29 off 20) before he holed out to deep extra cover, and two from Mike, one after he was dropped.
All-rounder James cost the Outlaws 105 runs but claimed three wickets.
Following his ban for an anti-doping offense, Chris Wright bowled his first five competitive overs of the season as the Outlaws launched their pursuit after finishing his preparations in Monday’s warm-up match against Buckinghamshire.
