Sam Hain, Glenn Maxwell stand ensures Bears overcome Foxes
Birmingham 167 for five (Hain 65*, Maxwell 47, Parkinson 4-33) beat Leicestershire 166 for 7 (Welch 30, Briggs 3-15) by 5 wickets
Birmingham Bears maintained their 100% document within the Vitality Blast with a five-wicket victory over Leicestershire Foxes on the Upstonsteel County Ground.
The Foxes’ bleak begin to the marketing campaign continued after they totalled a modest 166 for 7 on a superb pitch on which The Blaze had piled up 212 in 20 overs earlier within the day. Every dismissed batter besides one handed 15 however solely Nick Welch reached 30 as Danny Briggs bowled along with his customary nous for 4-0-15-3.
That regarded chaseable for a Bears aspect together with Glenn Maxwell for the primary time and the debutant crunched a muscular 47 off 27 balls as his aspect reached 167 for five with 15 balls to spare. Sam Hain adopted his unbeaten 83 within the Blast opener towards Yorkshire with an unbeaten 65 off 43 as solely Callum Parkinson (4 for 33) induced a lot interference to the Bears’ pursuit.
After the Foxes selected to bat, Nick Welch and Sol Budinger supplied a punchy begin with a gap stand of 49 in 5 overs however then fell to successive balls. Welch’s middle-stump was plucked out by Chris Woakes earlier than Budinger heaved Dan Mousley to deep midwicket.
Briggs imposed a brake with a skilful spell and bowled Arron Lilley to safe his 240th T20 wicket. Number 241 quickly adopted when Colin Ackermann sought the gang at long-on however discovered solely Mousley simply contained in the rope, a lot to the frustration of these within the stand who have been jockeying for place in mild of the dazzling prize, for any spectator who caught a six, of a ticket to see Tom Jones on the Uptonsteel County Ground on July 15.
It’s commonplace to see Briggs among the many wickets in T20 and when his third adopted, Wiaan Milder top-edging to brief nice leg, the Foxes had stuttered to 106 for five. Rishi Patel and Rehen Ahmed landed just a few blows in a stand of 38 in 21 balls however the Foxes appeared to have are available in underneath par.
The Bears reply raced to 22 from 13 balls earlier than the early cost was halted by the introduction of Parkinson. He bowled Alex Davies and Paul Stirling in his first 5 balls however Mulder’s first over, which went for 18, returned the initiative to Birmingham they usually by no means relinquished it.
Bowling to Maxwell and Hain when each are in good nick is about as robust because it will get in world T20 they usually broke the again of the chase with a stand of 90 in 51 balls. Maxwell lapped Will Davis to brief nice leg, however Mousley stored up the impetus with an 11-ball 16 earlier than ladling Parkinson to lengthy leg.
Three balls later, Parkinson had Chris Benjamin caught behind to finish his third T20 four-for, however Hain superior to a 35-ball half-century and the Bears eased house, Hain hanging the successful run to lengthy leg with the Tom Jones ticket nonetheless unclaimed.