Rishi Patel, Wiaan Mulder tons of steer Leicestershire to security
Leicestershire 270 (Rehan 59*, Hudson-Prentice 4-48, Karvelas 4-79) and 295 for six (Mulder 102*, Patel 100, Scriven 51*) drew with Sussex 430 (Alsop 182*, Pujara 77, Coles 70, Mulder 5-63)
Hundreds from Rishi Patel and Wiaan Mulder steered Leicestershire to a draw towards Sussex after being requested to comply with on, preserving their unbeaten report in Division Two of the LV= Insurance County Championship.
Dismissed for 270 in reply to their opponents’ 430 late on Saturday night, they had been in early hassle at 65 for 4 as Sussex chased a second win of the season. But after Patel had made 100 from 157 balls, the third century of a season he started with none to his identify, South Africa allrounder Mulder noticed them to security with an unbeaten 102 to go together with his 5 wickets within the Sussex innings.
He had helpful help from younger allrounder Tom Scriven, who contributed 51 not out to a seventh-wicket stand price an unbroken 99 in 23 overs earlier than the groups shook fingers on a draw with 20 overs unbowled and Leicestershire 135 runs in entrance.
Sussex’s four-man seam assault had their moments, with 21-year-old Henry Crocombe wanting sharp at instances, however with Ari Karvelas and Brad Currie each making their first appearances of the season, they may not discover the excellent particular person efficiency that was in all probability wanted to vogue a victory, and missed two probabilities to dismiss Patel earlier than he had reached fifty.
Leicestershire had regarded in peril of succumbing to the sort of speedy disintegration to which they had been susceptible final 12 months when a stable begin to their follow-on was wrecked by the lack of 4 fast wickets halfway by the morning session.
Six with out loss in a single day, having failed by simply 11 runs to fulfill the avoidance goal on Saturday, they superior to 48 with out too many alarms within the first 40 minutes of play, dealing comparatively comfortably with a new-ball assault of Karvelas and Currie.
But after a serious let-off when an edge provided by Patel on 27 was put down by third slip Tom Clark, the subsequent eight overs noticed them lose 4 wickets for 9 runs, slipping from 56 with out loss.
Sol Budinger slashed Fynn Hudson-Prentice into the fingers of the fielder at level, the opener getting a send-off from the Sussex fielders that appeared to immediate a warning from the umpires, and the opener was instantly adopted again by captain Lewis Hill as Crocombe did sufficient to induce an edge to first slip Tom Alsop.
Colin Ackermann, who scored 298 runs in his first 4 innings of the season however simply 34 in his most up-to-date 5, confronted 25 balls earlier than he was leg earlier than to Karvelas, getting solely half ahead, after which Currie claimed the wicket Sussex hoped could be key, delivering a magnificence to move Peter Handscomb’s defensive bat and hit the Australian’s off stump.
With Leicestershire nonetheless 95 behind, Sussex tails had been up, but they missed one other likelihood to dismiss Patel when he was dropped at first slip on 47 off Currie, who additionally had a robust attraction for leg earlier than towards him turned down in his subsequent over.
The residence facet had been nonetheless up towards it at lunch, 69 in arrears, but there was all the time a suspicion {that a} Sussex assault missing each Ollie Robinson and Nathan McAndrew may battle to bowl Leicestershire out twice, particularly in enhancing climate situations and with their opponents involved solely with saving the sport.
Indeed, the 2 probabilities created however not taken towards Patel started to look expensive because the tall right-hander went on to finish a 3rd century of a season by which solely the Sussex captain, Cheteshwar Pujara, has greater than his 517 runs in Division Two.
It was under no circumstances flawless, fairly other than the 2 drops, however on the events he made good contact with the ball it might go a great distance with out a lot apparent muscle behind it, witnessed in three sixes, one again over the top of Karvelas, one other lofted over the leg-side boundary off Hudson-Prentice, the opposite over long-on off spinner James Coles.
After reaching the milestone off 154 balls together with his sixteenth 4, Patel slightly gave his wicket away, pushing at a ball from Currie in the identical over that he had no must play, giving first slip a snug catch. Nonetheless, his partnership with Mulder had added 122 runs, a sizeable stride in the direction of security.
Yet when Rehan Ahmed was out three overs later, brilliantly caught by a diving Steve Smith at second slip off Crocombe, Leicestershire had been weak once more, six down and simply 36 in entrance, with nonetheless 43 overs remaining.
Another setback within the 10 overs remaining earlier than tea would have buoyed Sussex nonetheless additional however ultimately it was Leicestershire’s rediscovered resilience that prevailed.
Mulder, who made 689 Championship runs final season however got here into this match with a high rating of 11 in six innings this 12 months, adopted his 5 first-innings wickets by regaining his contact with the bat and it was he as a lot as Patel who was the game-saver, dealing with 167 balls and going to his hundred together with his sixteenth 4, his fifteenth having come of the one over bowled by Smith.