Handscomb leads Leicestershire in Metro Bank knockouts
Leicestershire 173 for five (Handscomb 54*, Bamber 3-27) beat Middlesex 191 (Robson 58, Scriven 3-33, Salisbury 3-41) by 23 runs through DLS
Leicestershire Foxes clinched their place within the knock-out levels of the Metro Bank One-Day Cup with a 23-run victory over Middlesex in a rain-affected contest on the Uptonsteel County Ground.
In a day-night match diminished to 47 overs per facet after the beginning was delayed, additional rain brought about the competition to be deserted after 40 overs of Leicestershire’s innings, at which level the Foxes had been 173 for five chasing 192 for victory, 23 runs forward of the Duckworth Lewis Stern calculation for the place they wanted to be at that time.
Australian worldwide Peter Handscomb led them house with an unbeaten 54 after opener Rishi Patel’s 44, sharing an unbroken 51-run partnership with Sam Evans to safe a sixth victory from seven within the competitors.
The consequence ensures Leicestershire can end no decrease than second in Group A, which might convey a house quarter-final. Only Hampshire, who’ve two matches left to the Foxes’ one, can deny them prime spot, which might take them straight into a house semi-final.
Middlesex, put in by Leicestershire, had been bowled out for 191 in 40.1 overs. Sam Robson made 58 and John Simpson 33 however no different batter topped 21 for Middlesex, who misplaced their final six wickets for 55 with Tom Scriven taking 3 for 33 and Matt Salisbury, on his List A debut for Leicestershire, 3 for 41.
Ethan Bamber was excellent with the ball for Middlesex, bowling his full 10 overs in a single spell at first of Leicestershire’s innings for figures of three for 27, however even with out Colin Ackermann, recruited by Southern Brave for the rest of The Hundred, Leicestershire have a deep batting line-up that all the time made them favourites.
The Middlesex innings had began promisingly. After a sublimely-timed chip over the leg facet had introduced Mark Stoneman a six off the primary ball of the match, 4 boundaries by Joe Cracknell, all attractively executed bar a streaky inside edge, noticed them set off at six an over however Leicestershire responded nicely.
Wiaan Mulder straightened one sufficient to beat Cracknell’s defence earlier than Salisbury struck in every of his first two overs, uprooting Stonemen’s center stump earlier than Jack Davies, driving, nicked behind. Middlesex, simply out of powerplay one, had been 53 for 3.
They misplaced a fourth wicket when Ryan Higgins, driving loosely at a widish ball from Josh Hull, was caught at cowl and from 70 for 4, it was very important that Robson and Simpson introduced their expertise to bear if Middlesex had been to present their bowlers a defendable complete.
Yet after advancing the whole to 136 with out additional loss, Robson anchoring reliably, Simpson placing away some pretty straight drives, the latter seemed to be trapped in a second of indecision as he was bowled by Scriven and a collapse adopted,
Scriven had Martin Andersson caught behind off a considerably ethereal drive, Robson adopted a ball angled throughout him by the returning Hull that discovered a faint edge earlier than Salisbury, additionally beginning a brand new spell, bowled Josh De Caires with a magnificence. Luke Hollman, pressured to play at one which got here again, gave Handscomb a fourth catch in opposition to the workforce he used to captain and Mulder a second wicket, earlier than Scriven ended Ethan Bamber’s late cameo together with his third.
The Foxes raced to 68 for 1 in powerplay one, 39 of them to Patel, who regarded in superb contact from the outset, exposing the inexperience of 21-year-old Ishaan Kaushal with three fours within the teenager’s opening over, which additionally yielded 5 wides, earlier than handing some early punishment to Ryan Higgins with a pick-up for six and a canopy pushed 4.
The solely casualty was Sol Budinger, recent from his maiden century earlier within the week, who lofted one hovering six off Higgins however was overwhelmed and trapped in entrance by Bamber, whose 5 powerplay overs value solely 15 runs.
Despite shedding skipper Lewis Hill cheaply, bowled by one which in the reduction of from Bamber, a few early boundaries for Handscomb stored Leicestershire forward of the sport however their progress was checked with two wickets within the house of 19 balls.
Andersson changed Higgins and promptly eliminated Patel, disappointingly out to a considerably tame return catch. Bamber continued and added a 3rd wicket to an outstanding spell with the dismissal of Mulder for 3 due to an excellent one-handed catch by Robson at slip.
With 99 wanted from 30 overs and 4 of their prime 5 gone, Leicestershire had been below strain for the primary time within the match. Louis Kimber’s 22 off 21 balls introduced the goal all the way down to 70 off 142 balls earlier than he fell caught and bowled by leg-spinner Luke Hollman off a forefront.
It left Handscomb carrying a weight of duty, alongside a brand new companion in Sam Evans making his first aggressive look of the season at first-team degree instead of Ackermann.
Yet with solely three runs per over required, the Australian knew the sixth-wicket pair could possibly be risk-averse and nonetheless end the job.
A bathe despatched the gamers off the sector with 36 wanted off 11.1 overs however the stoppage was transient sufficient for no extra overs to be misplaced and Handscomb quickly accomplished a 69-ball half-century with a nicely-timed minimize for 4 off Andersson earlier than the rain returned with seven overs nonetheless to go.