Rishi Patel hundred steers Leicestershire to security towards Glamorgan
Leicestershire 407 (Handscomb 95, Ahmed 90, Hill 53, van der Gugten 6-88) and 252 for 3 (Patel 134*, Hill 82) drew with Glamorgan 465 (Cooke 132, Neser 90, Labuschagne 64, Byrom 51, Wright 5-89)
An spectacular, unbeaten first century on his residence floor from Leicestershire’s Rishi Patel introduced nice compensation to spectators who witnessed their facet’s LV=Insurance County Championship match with Glamorgan fizzle out as a draw on the ultimate day.
Patel, 24, whose potential has excited the teaching employees at Grace Road since his transfer from Essex in 2020, appears now to be realising it. This was his second hundred in three matches after breaking his duck by driving his group to an epic victory over Yorkshire at Headingley three weeks in the past.
He performed beautifully, hardly ever making an error not to mention providing an opportunity, hitting 18 fours and three sixes in his career-best 134 not out earlier than Leicestershire declared their second innings on 252 for 3, most of them coming cleanly off the bat as he picked off boundaries all around the wicket.
His captain, Lewis Hill, was unfortunate to not be part of him on three figures, dragging one on to his stumps for 82 having by no means appeared in any hassle, the 2 sharing a 203-run partnership for the second wicket.
Earlier, Glamorgan had prolonged their in a single day lead from 39 to 58 in shedding their final two first-innings wickets as they had been all out for 465, Chris Cooke the ultimate man to depart after hitting 132. Veteran Leicestershire seamer Chris Wright completed with 5 for 89.
Bottom of the desk final season, Leicestershire are starting to appear like a group with promotion potential this 12 months, having topped 400 first-innings runs in all three Championship matches performed up to now and compiling seven partnerships of 100 runs or extra in these video games, in contrast with 9 in whole within the 2022 marketing campaign.
Cooke’s century for the guests adopted his unbeaten 191 within the corresponding fixture final season, when his contribution was considerably overshadowed by Sam Northeast’s epic 410 not out in Glamorgan’s report 795 for five declared. It was a match that was arguably the nadir of a determined Leicestershire season as they misplaced by an innings regardless of themselves making 584 of their first innings.
This time, within the lead reasonably than supporting function, Cooke misplaced his center stump making room to swing laborious as Wright accomplished a five-wicket haul for the primary time since September 2021.
Two overs earlier, Andrew Salter had departed in unlucky and uncomfortable circumstances, a ball from Wright jagging again to strike him someplace round his protecting field and rolling on to the stumps as he dropped to his haunches.
Having been 155 for five, Glamorgan may have felt effectively glad that their second 5 wickets had placed on double that runs tally. Doing so had taken so lengthy, nonetheless, on prime of overs misplaced earlier to the climate, that there was little prospect of fashioning a optimistic outcome.
Glamorgan’s solely hope was that they may bowl Leicestershire out in round 50 of the 87 overs nonetheless to play and provides themselves a modest goal in such time that remained. Michael Neser gave them an encouraging begin, having opener Sol Budinger out for a single when he prodded at one outdoors off stump and gave David Lloyd the only of catches at first slip.
Yet such optimism as that wicket may need stirred was tempered within the subsequent over as Patel pounced on a leg-side supply from Timm van der Gugten with such timing and vigour that the ball sailed out of the bottom and into Milligan Road, coming to relaxation underneath a parked van. He adopted up with a crisp drive by way of cowl for 4.
It was a sign of what was to return as Patel picked up boundaries all spherical the bottom. He hammered 18 in a single over off Salter quickly after lunch, back-to-back swept fours taking him to 51 from 74 balls with 9 fours and a six, which he celebrated with one other six down the bottom off the offspinner, adopted by a clip for 4 by way of midwicket.
Salter recovered effectively and with Neser taking up from van der Gugten on the Bennett End the stream of runs was quickly stemmed. But Patel bought going once more when Marnus Labuschagne changed Salter, reverse sweeping the Australian to the fence to go to 98 earlier than driving Jamie McIlroy’s medium tempo by way of mid-off to finish 100 off 137 balls, containing 17 fours and two sixties.
Hill went previous fifty off 91 balls quickly afterwards as Leicestershire’s lead topped 100 with little or no doing for any of the bowlers underneath excessive cloud.
The Leicestershire skipper should have had a watch on his second century of the season however missed out, falling simply earlier than tea on 82 as his counterpart Lloyd picked up a primary wicket within the second innings, to which he added a second when Colin Ackermann holed out to deep midwicket quickly after tea, earlier than the groups shook arms on the inevitable draw at 4.50pm.