Leicestershire claim dramatic win in Yorkshire thriller

Ben Mikes hits a maximum from the final ball of the innings as the Foxes chase down 189 to win an exciting match at Grace Road

Grace Road: Yorkshire 188-6 v Leicestershire 192-7 - Leicestershire won by three wickets

Scorecard

Leicestershire Foxes moved ahead of Yorkshire Vikings into third place in the North Group after a thrilling last-ball Vitality Blast victory at the Fischer County Ground.

The home side started slowly in pursuit of 189 to win before half-centuries from Gareth Delany and Colin Ackermann swung the contest round to the extent that victory seemed a formality with 26 needed from the final three overs.

A flurry of wickets - four in the space of three overs - then left the outcome in the balance with nine required from the last six deliveries, which looked to have been just too many for the Foxes until Ben Mike went for broke off the final ball, launching Adam Lyth over his head for six to win the contest.

Lyth earlier had given the Vikings innings the platform for a substantial total with 71 off 46 balls with three sixes after he and skipper David Willey had added 70 in 41 deliveries for the second wicket. The innings lost some momentum in the middle overs but Jordan Thompson flung the bat and rode his luck with 44 off 19 balls, with four maximums as he and Jonny Tattersall added 64 off the final 31 balls of the innings.  Seamer Will Davis and leg-spinner Delany claimed two wickets each.

Having been asked to bat first when the Foxes won the toss, the Vikings had an excellent powerplay, piling on 67 runs for the loss of only wicket, thanks largely to a 24-ball half-century from one-time England opener Lyth that included five fours and two enormous sixes behind square on the leg side.  The only casualty was Tom Kohler-Cadmore, who chipped straight to extra cover.

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Davis was the successful bowler, striking with his first delivery, and it was the brisk right-arm seamer who made the second breakthrough in the 10th over as David Willey fell for a useful 27 off 17 balls, chopping on to a slow yorker. Willey had survived a very difficult caught-and-bowled chance when he drove down the ground to Delany’s leg-spin, before Lyth picked up his third maximum, just clearing the fielder at deep mid-wicket. The Vikings were 98 for two at half-way.

The next passage proved more fruitful for the Foxes, a couple of tight overs from spinners Callum Parkinson and Ackermann putting the brake on the scoring rate before Delany claimed the vital wicket of Lyth for 71, the left-armer this time holing out to deep backward square.  A smart piece of fielding by Ackermann then ran out Will Fraine at the non-striker’s end before the batsman had faced and after Delany claimed a second wicket with Harry Brook caught at long-on the Vikings were 126 for 5 after 15.

But new batsman Thompson started the scoreboard moving again with consecutive sixes off Parkinson before repeating the trick off Davis, punishing Delany for dropping him at mid-off on 16 in between. Thompson had another life on 34 in the penultimate over of the innings as Lilley put him down off Griffiths, seeming to lose the ball in the lights. Jonny Tattersall picked up his first maximum, the sixth-wicket pair giving the card a much better look for Yorkshire, adding 64 off 31 balls before Thompson skied the last delivery of the 20 overs, eventually caught by wicketkeeper Lewis Hill for 44 off 19 deliveries.

The task facing the Foxes was to score at 9.45 runs per over.  The requirement was up to 10.14 at the end of the powerplay, despite Lilley laying into both Ben Coad - playing in his first domestic T20 for three years - and Matthew Fisher with the first sixes of the innings after Harry Dearden was caught at long-on. Leicestershire were 47 for 1 after six.

Delany clubbed six over long-on in Jack Shutt’s opening over as Lilley turned to his spinners but the off-spinner then had some good fortune when Lilley smacked a waist-high full toss straight to deep mid-wicket. But Delany was in the mood to take the initiative.

^{Adam Lyth helped the Vikings set a formidable total}

An expansive swing brought him a second maximum as Thompson took over from Shutt, the ball bouncing on the roof of The Meet before he launched another huge straight hit over the indoor school as Shutt switched ends, the Irishman completing a 32-ball half-century with his fourth four as the Foxes reached 97 for two from 11, having added 26 in two overs.  After another expensive over from Coad, the Foxes needed 75 from 48 balls, now ahead of the rate.

Josh Poysden’s leg-spin briefly threatened to stall the home side’s progress but the batsmen compensated with a furious assault in Thompson’s next over, which went for 28 as Ackermann cleared the ropes twice with some colossal blows and Delany picked up his fourth six, bringing the target down to 42 off six overs.

Willey brought himself back into the attack and was rewarded when Delany finally sent one soaring into the night sky for Tattersall to catch on the way down but the Irishman’s 64 off 41 balls looked like a match-winning innings. Willey conceded only three off the over, but the third wicket had added 89 and the Foxes remained favourites, Ackermann going to his fifty off 29 balls.  

Yet three wickets in the space of nine deliveries turned the pressure back on to Leicestershire as Tom Taylor, Lewis Hill and Harry Swindells departed in quick succession as Coad and Fisher (3-35) suddenly turned the screw, leaving the Foxes needing 20 off 12 deliveries.  

Mike relieved the pressure with a substantial six over square leg, then the loss of Ackermann, leg before to Willey, giving the finish another twist.  Willey trusted Lyth’s off-spin for the final over, and it seemed to have paid off until, needing three off the last ball, Mike swung and connected perfectly, the ball still rising as it cleared the rope at long-on.

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