The 39-year-old's brilliant 61-ball innings, which contained 12 fours and four sixes, was his third T20 hundred and his second in consecutive seasons after he made 100 not out against Durham in 2022
Leicester: Derbyshire Falcons 189-5, Leicestershire Foxes 187-5 - Derbyshire Falcons won by two runs
A career-best, unbeaten 109 by veteran campaigner Wayne Madsen set up Derbyshire Falcons for their first win of the Vitality Blast season.
The 39-year-old's brilliant 61-ball innings, which contained 12 fours and four sixes, was his third T20 hundred and his second in consecutive seasons after he made 100 not out against Durham in 2022.
It helped the Falcons post 189 for 5 after being put in, with Tom Wood making 37 from 24 balls and Brooke Guest 25 from 20, while spinners Rehan Ahmed (2-20), Callum Parkinson (2-36) and Colin Ackermann (1-16) shared the wickets for the Foxes.
Leicestershire, who have lost all of their opening four matches, put up a decent fight in the circumstances, Ackermann (59 not out) and Ahmed (28) scoring 58 off the last 31 balls after Rishi Patel's 44 - but it wasn't quite enough.
Left-arm spinner Parkinson dismissed both openers in his first two overs, Luis Reece leg before and Haider Ali bowled, both attempting to sweep, yet it was the Falcons, at 52 for 2, who came out of the powerplay on top.
Madsen's timing was immaculate as he dispatched Ahmed, Will Davis and Parkinson in turn for sixes before cleverly reverse-sweeping Ahmed for four to bring up a 29-ball half-century - his fourth in as many innings this season - as the Falcons reached halfway at 96 for 2.
Wayne Madsen on his way to a hundred against Leicestershire Foxes [Getty Images]
Wood, after his uncertain start, was beginning to find his range when the Foxes at last managed to stem the flow, Wood reaching for one outside off stump and unable to control his shot, and Sol Budinger pouching the catch at deep point.
That ended a 95-run partnership for the third wicket, after which the Falcons suffered a wobble as Ahmed struck twice in the space of five deliveries, having Leus du Plooy caught behind down the legside for a second-ball duck before Anuj Dal fell leg-before to a googly, as 117 for 2 became 120 for 5.
None of his colleagues could match Ahmed's economy on a night when the Foxes were sloppy in the field. Naveen ul Haq conceded 23 off his final two overs as the last four of the innings saw the Falcons' total swell by 50 runs.
After a slow start to their reply in which Budinger lobbed tamely to mid-on as Zak Chappell claimed a wicket against his former county, the Foxes found some momentum in the second half of the powerplay to be 48 for 1, as Patel and Nick Welch began to find regular boundaries.
They lost Welch when the opener clipped into the hands of deep square leg and Patel had an escape on 33 when Zaman Khan spilled a chance on the legside off du Plooy, but skipper Ackermann was into his stride with two fours and a six off George Scrimshaw as the home side reached 90 for 2 from 10.
Patel's second six, launched over long-on off Mark Watt, and two reserve sweeps for four by Ackermann off Wood kept the scoreboard moving nicely but after Patel holed out off Watt's left-arm aiming for another maximum the required rate was above 10. Wiaan Mulder thin-edged behind off Chappell and the Foxes needed 55 from the last five overs.
Lilley fell for 3, slashing Scrimshaw to deep backward point, but Ahmed uppercut his first ball for six to keep the Foxes interested and, after a generally tidy over from Khan stretched the target to 39 from 18 balls, the sixth-wicket pair innovated nicely and ran well between the wickets to leave the Foxes needing 14 off the last over.
The pressure was on Scrimshaw, who conceded a boundary to Ahmed from his first ball. But the tall seamer held his nerve to avoid conceding another and the Falcons prevailed by two runs.
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