Category Uncategorized

David Miller, Dawid Malan and Manvinder Bisla are the other three players to have withdrawn

Andrew Fidel Fernando26-Oct-2020Five foreign players, including Andre Russell, Faf du Plessis and David Miller have withdrawn from the Lanka Premier League (LPL) less than a week after they were drafted into franchise teams.Miller, du Plessis and Dawid Malan have become unavailable because of the limited-overs series between South Africa and England, set to begin on November 27. Russell, meanwhile, has pulled out due to injury, according to Sri Lanka Cricket. Manvinder Bisla, the fifth player to exit the tournament, is not believed to have provided a reason though. The LPL is scheduled to start on November 21 and run until December 13.”The franchises that had these players will have to negotiate with other players to take their place,” LPL director Ravin Wickramaratne told ESPNcricinfo. Russell, Miller, du Plessis and Malan had all been selected as marquee players, which means the franchises are not bound by the constraints of the draft payment structure when they seek new players.Although it was suspected that the players from South Africa and England would withdraw once England’s tour of South Africa was confirmed, Russell’s exit is more of a surprise. He has not played for the Kolkata Knight Riders since the game against the Sunrisers Hyderabad on October 18 owing to a knee injury but hasn’t yet pulled out of the IPL entirely either. No update has been given on his further involvement in the ongoing tournament, although Wickramaratne cited injury as the cause of his withdrawal from the LPL.While these withdrawals are a significant blow to the tournament, they are not a death knell just yet. The hardest hit franchise is the Colombo Kings, who had all three of Russell, du Plessis and Bisla on their roster. The Jaffna Stallions had Malan.With less than four weeks to go until the scheduled start of the LPL, there are still substantial logistical hurdles to surmount before the tournament can get off the ground. A major sticking point remains the quarantine – Sri Lanka’s health ministry has insisted it must be 14 days of confinement in a hotel room, which some players have expressed dissatisfaction with.However, SLC remains optimistic that the tournament will go ahead.

Seamer puts injury struggles behind with four-wicket haul as Hampshire fall short in run chase

David Hopps24-Jul-2019Life is just a party and parties weren’t meant to last. So sang Prince in “1999” – and Twenty20 hadn’t even gained a foothold then. Well, who knows, maybe the party won’t last, but let’s raise a glass or two in the meantime. Reece Topley has feared countless times that his party was over, but this was a time to dance until dawn as England’s most injury-hit fast bowler returned to the professional game at Hove with devastating effect.The end result: 4 for 33 against Hampshire, the county who understandably felt they had to let him go last October after only 21 matches in three years, and a 14-run margin for Sussex as they defended their 188 for 6. He had to deliver and he did just that.Hampshire are now without a win in three matches, but they are a fine T20 side and they were unrelenting even as they lost wickets. With 25 needed from 10 balls, and Topley having to return for a final over, Kyle Abbott struck him down the ground for six and then survived a catch at deep midwicket to Rashid Khan. But when he spliced the next one, Rashid made no mistake.A left-arm quick with the ability to swing the ball in has always been a priceless commodity, whatever the format, attractive enough for England to give Topley 10 ODIs and six T20 internationals.In his first over, he looked uncomfortable, and down on pace. If it was a party, he would have been in the kitchen, head down, not quite sure he should be there, struggling to make eye contact. In his second over, everything clicked: Hampshire’s top order in the shape of Aneurin Donald, James Vince and Sam Northeast evaporated within the space of four balls.Donald was beaten on the drive around leg stump and adjudged lbw. Perhaps the fact that replays suggested the ball was too high should be politely glossed over because the punch-of-the-air celebration was one of supreme, blushing happiness. Vince sought an off-side drive and inside-edged an inswinger – out second ball for nought: you can always rely on Vince, as talented as he is, to play the fall guy. Then Northeast’s leg stump was cleaned up with a first-ball yorker. There had been a six by Donald, but everybody had forgotten about it by then.Five absences in six years because of stress fractures of the back, and he is still here: only 25, but his back must have felt 75 at times and, in his lowest moments, how old he felt mentally barely warranted thinking about. But Sussex and Middlesex remained open-minded about his potential and he opted for Sussex, playing club cricket for Reigate Priory before Sussex offered him a summer contract in early July and Jason Gillespie, their coach, assured him that what would be would be.Topley’s five fractures were in two areas – L3 and L4 for the experts. He has so many screws in his back that when he passes through airport security the alarm could play the national anthem. But in his dark days he didn’t leave it there and added a broken hand and shoulder surgery for good measure. England coaches remedied his action, removing the leap to the crease, to try to reduce the stress. But through it all his wrist position – his perfect wrist position – remained entrenched.The last time Sussex lost after posting a score so large was back in 2008 when (no prizes for guessing) Hampshire were the victors. Few Blast batting sides appear so vulnerable yet so awash with potential, Phil Salt and Delray Rawlins might have “ephemeral” as their middle name. “Party over, oops out of time”, as Prince went on in “1999”, can be uttered at any moment.For Salt, the party was long lasting, 73 from 46 balls as he rapped the ball to all parts for his fifth T20 half-century. That’s only five fifties and already he has been called up for an England squad, although without making his debut. For Rawlins, it was much more fleeting, six off two balls – meeting Mason Crane’s legspin with a confident skip-down-the-ground six and then outwitted by his follow-up – yet even those balls felt somehow special. Rashid’s 22 off seven was pretty transient, too.Salt set the tone for Sussex as Chris Morris leaked 18 from his second over, climaxed by a rasping straight drive. Luke Wright fed him the strike before Abbott’s bouncer defeated his pull shot, and Laurie Evans fell to a ridiculous run out, even by T20 standards, when he was beaten by Crane, kept his back foot resolutely in the crease but then made an ingrained attempt at a run as the wicketkeeper, Lewis McManus held the ball over the stumps.Hampshire might have ruined the night had Rilee Rossouw’s 60 off 38 not been briefly interrupted when he went off for further concussion checks after he was struck attempting a ramp shot against David Wiese (those dressing room conversations would have been interesting) and McManus struck 32 from 15 balls late on.But Sussex, with their England pair Jofra Archer and Chris Jordan looking on in the crowd, secured their first win. Their promotion challenge in the Championship is looking ragged, but after Topley’s great night their T20 side should have the fans queuing down to Hove sea front wondering what further miracles might ensue.

The 19-year old offspinner was reported, and suspended, for an illegal bowling action during the 2017-18 Big Bash League

Daniel Brettig01-Jun-2018Arjun Nair, the New South Wales and Sydney Thunder offspinner, has been cleared to return to the bowling crease after further testing of his bowling action at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane.”It has been a tough few months, but glad to say I’m back,” Nair said on Instagram. “I want to thank all those who stood by me and supported me through this hurdle. Forever grateful.”Remedial work was required to improve the purity of Nair’s bowling action after he was reported during last summer’s Big Bash League when bowling for the Thunder against the Hobart Hurricanes on December 30.At the NCC, 19-year-old Nair was subsequently found to have bowled with an action “markedly different” from the one he used in the BBL match, and under Cricket Australia’s regulations such a change incurs an automatic ban from all first-class, List A and Twenty20 cricket for 90 days.However further testing of Nair’s action last month showed that his method now stood up to technological scrutiny as within the allowable range of elbow flex for a spin bowler.”Nair opted to be re-tested on 21 May 2018, with both his offspin and carrom ball deliveries under review,” Cricket Australia said in a statement. “The assessment revealed that all deliveries were within the 15 degrees level of tolerance permitted under the regulations, with his bowling action now deemed legal.”Nair was initially tested on the 4 January 2018 at the Bupa National Cricket Centre. The results at that time found that his action was different to that of the reported match footage.”Under the procedure, a player that has a materially different action in the match to that during testing shall immediately be suspended from bowling in interstate and W/BBL cricket until such time, but no earlier than 90 days, as they submit to a fresh analysis and it is concluded that they have remedied their action.”Nair is now free to resume bowling for the Thunder and the Blues. He is part of the National Performance squad intake for 2018.

ESPNcricinfo’s wrap of the first day of the Sheffield Shield match between Victoria and Western Australia in Alice Springs

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Mar-2017
ScorecardFile photo – Fawad Ahmed took 3 for 14 in his first Sheffield Shield game for nearly a year•Getty Images

Fawad Ahmed enjoyed his return to Sheffield Shield cricket for the first time in nearly a year, collecting 3 for 14 as Victoria skittled Western Australia for 146 in Alice Springs. However, at stumps on the first day, the Bushrangers had also stumbled with the bat and were 5 for 106, still trailing by 40 runs, with Daniel Christian on 5 and Chris Tremain yet to score.Jason Behrendorff and David Moody had picked up two wickets each, but it was D’Arcy Short who picked up the key wicket of Marcus Stoinis for 46 in the last few overs before stumps. Earlier, the Warriors had suffered a top-order collapse to be 4 for 17, with Cameron Bancroft, Jon Wells and Adam Voges all falling for ducks.Ashton Turner (59) and Short (42) ensured the Warriors pushed their score up past 100, but the legspin of Fawad then ripped through the lower order. It was Fawad’s first Shield game since March last year, and he struck with his first delivery when he had Josh Inglis trapped lbw, before adding two more wickets.

Stephen Fleming has been named as head coach of the Pune franchise for the next two seasons of the IPL

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jan-2016Former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming has been named as head coach of the Pune franchise for the next two seasons of the IPL. The appointment was confirmed in a media release by Sanjeev Goenka, head of New Rising group which owns the franchise.Fleming, who had previously coached Chennai Super Kings, was always a favourite for the job once Pune made MS Dhoni their first pick in the IPL player draft on December 15. In Fleming and Dhoni, Pune have gained the brains trust that helped Super Kings become the most successful team in IPL history, including back-to-back championships in 2010 and 2011.”He [Fleming] has been remarkably successful as a player in the international arena and I firmly believe that his technical knowhow, perseverance and organisation skills will work wonders for our team,” Goenka said in the media statement.Goenka’s New Rising bagged the ownership rights for the Pune franchise in December in the reverse bidding process put in place by the BCCI to select the two new franchises that would replace Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, both of whom were suspended by the Lodha Committee in relation to the 2013 IPL corruption case.

Miserly on his return to action for Australia A following the back injury that curtailed his India tour, Jackson Bird has outlined the tourists’ Ashes bowling blueprint

Daniel Brettig in Bristol22-Jun-2013Typically miserly on his return to action for Australia A following the back injury that curtailed his India tour, Jackson Bird has outlined the tourists’ Ashes bowling blueprint to place England under the kind of sustained pressure so desired by their coach Mickey Arthur.Should Australia be seeking a purveyor of sustained tight bowling with subtle swing and bounce from a decent height, then Bird is a non-negotiable selection for the first match of the series at Trent Bridge, having shown in two Tests so far that he has the rare capacity to land the ball more or less where he wants to. He hinted at this again on day one in Bristol, nearly pinning Michael Klinger lbw twice in the first over of the innings and going to stumps with 0 for 29 from 10 overs.As part of Australia’s long-term planning for this northern summer, Bird was a tourist to these parts with Australia A in 2012 also, and learned valuable lessons about bowling in England. Chief among these is that any paceman who walks onto the ground with delusions of grandiose swing and bowling the perfect ball will soon find himself nursing expensive figures while patrolling the boundary – consistency is everything.”You’ve got to be pretty strict on your lines and length,” Bird said. “The wickets are a little bit slower so anything too full or short or anything with width just gets put away so you’ve got to be really diligent with your lines and length and not give away too much. I probably didn’t bowl as well as I would have liked last year [in England].”When I first came over here I was more worried about the movement and trying to swing the ball and trying to get that sideways movement as well, so when I reverted to trying to just hit my line and length, if I put the ball in the right area I tend to swing the ball anyway. So I learnt that pretty quickly and by the end of the tour I was able to do that.”Bird was perhaps the most valuable find of the past Australian summer, the delay in his selection when he might have been chosen for the pivotal Perth Test against South Africa immediately looking foolish as he moved the ball appreciably against Sri Lanka while scooping 11 wickets at 16.18 on the Boxing Day/New Year swing.He was likely to figure in the India Tests on less forgiving surfaces before a back stress fracture was diagnosed, forcing him home. The early return to Australia may have cost Bird a Cricket Australia contract, but he bore no grudge about the fate that befell him, reasoning it allowed him time to freshen up for a tour far more amenable to his modus operandi.”I hadn’t had an injury in about six years before that so to get it during a Test series was pretty disappointing but it probably happened at a good time,” Bird said. “I got the three months off to get myself fit and strong, get rid of my back injury and also a few other niggles. If it had happened at the end of the tour I probably would have missed out on the Ashes as well so looking at it that way it probably was good timing.”Like Ed Cowan, George Bailey, James Faulkner and numerous others in the Australian set-up, Bird has benefited greatly from a strong team and culture in Tasmania, having moved south from New South Wales in search of improved fitness, focus and performance. He said the Tigers had imbued him with plenty of belief, something he was now seeing among other members of the Australian Test bowling attack after their work together so far in England.”When I first got down to Tassie I basically wanted to get myself into a position to play first-class cricket – I tried to get as fit as I could,” Bird said. “Then when I got my chance I definitely had the full support of [now retired coach] Tim Coyle, the coaching staff, George and all the players as well. It puts your mind at ease when you’re running in knowing that everyone’s behind you. Tim was a great coach and we’re sad to see him go, but he definitely made me feel very welcome.”

Auckland’s Eden Park will host its first Test in seven years when England play there during their three-Test series next season

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jun-2012Auckland’s Eden Park will host its first Test in seven years when England play there during their three-Test series next season. New Zealand Cricket has released its schedule for the England tour, which will consist of Tests in Dunedin, Wellington and Auckland, along with three Twenty20 internationals and three ODIs.Eden Park has not hosted a Test since March 2006, when New Zealand beat West Indies, although it has remained a regular venue for international limited-overs games. David White, the New Zealand Cricket chief executive, said an England Test seemed like a good fit for Auckland, while Dunedin was the logical South Island venue for a Test after Christchurch’s ground was affected by last year’s earthquake.”Auckland hasn’t hosted a Test match since 2006 and we felt the England tour presented a good opportunity allocate a match to our largest city,” White said. “An inbound England tour brings in a large number of supporters who create a wonderful atmosphere and we are sure the people of Auckland will turn out in force to see two quality teams in what promises to be a fantastic occasion.”We felt it was important to schedule an international match in the South Island and a Test match at University Oval was the logical choice. It was 1966 when the England team last played a Test match in Dunedin so I’m sure the locals will get behind the event. Unfortunately we were again unable to schedule a match in Canterbury due to the lack of a suitable venue for international cricket.”Seddon Park in Hamilton missed on being allocated a Test for the first time since 2006-07, while there was also no room for Napier’s McLean Park on the Test calendar. Hamilton and Napier will both host matches during the limited-overs portion of the tour, which runs through February, before England play a four-day warm-up game in Queenstown ahead of the Test series.Twenty20 series
February 4 – New Zealand XI v England, Cobham Oval, Whangarei (warm-up match)
February 6 – New Zealand XI v England, Cobham Oval, Whangarei (warm-up match)
February 9 – First T20 international, Eden Park, Auckland
February 12 – Second T20 international, Seddon Park, Hamilton
February 15 – Third T20 international, Westpac Stadium, Wellington
One-day international series
February 17 – First ODI, Seddon Park, Hamilton
February 20 – Second ODI, McLean Park, Napier
February 23 – Third ODI, Eden Park, Auckland
Test series
February 27-March 2 – New Zealand XI v England, Queenstown (warm-up match)
March 6-10 – First Test, University Oval, Dunedin
March 14-18 – Second Test, Basin Reserve, Wellington
March 22-26 – Third Test, Eden Park, Auckland

Worcestershire should be able to secure their first Championship win of the season, but they have a habit of letting strong positions slip

George Dobell at New Road31-May-2011
ScorecardOne of the oldest clichés in sport is the ‘Lazarus syndrome’: the Biblical metaphor churned out whenever a team comes back from the brink of defeat.Worcestershire, however, have mastered the reverse-Lazarus syndrome. So far in the 2011 season they have made a habit of miraculously transforming almost impregnable match-winning positions into remarkable match-losing ones. Truly, there have been times this season when they have given the impression that they could put down the living and infect the healthy. Their form has been quite wretched.For that reason, and no other, Worcestershire supporters will approach the last day of their championship match against Nottinghamshire with some trepidation. This really should be the game where Worcestershire end their horrendous record of results at New Road and secure their first Championship win of the season. They’ve not won here in Division One of the Championship since May 2004.They’ve already squandered one opportunity to strike the fatal blow, however. At 223 for 3, with two batsmen well set, they had drawn level with Nottinghamshire’s first innings total and had the chance to establish a match-winning lead.Instead they collapsed. Through a combination of a tricky pitch, some fine bowling and some less than robust batting, Worcestershire lost their final seven wickets for 20 runs in just 48 balls. It left them just 20 ahead.It was a decline that had seemed most improbable only minutes earlier. While batting was never comfortable, Moeen Ali and Alexei Kervezee had added 93 in 31 overs for their fourth-wicket, exercising fine judgement over which balls to leave and which to attack.Moeen was especially impressive. While there were few of the elegant strokes that have come to characterise his batting, he looked secure outside off stump and, when the opportunity arose, attacked judiciously. Twice he skipped down the wicket to loft Samit Patel’s left-arm spin over the top – once for four; once for six – and when the bowler retaliated with a flatter delivery, Moeen leant back and cut him through cover for four.When he and Kervezee fell right before the new ball, however, Worcestershire suffered a sharp decline. First Kervezee was drawn into playing at one that left him, before Moeen edged one that was pushed onto him from Samit Patel.From then on, Charlie Shreck dominated. Armed with the new ball, the 33-year-old Cornishman, ripped out the remaining batsmen in a 16-ball spell of four wickets for 15 runs. It was the 19th five-wicket haul of his career and his first since July 2008.Shreck was never the quickest of seamers and, since the injuries began to mount a couple of years ago, he’s lost a bit more pace than he could afford to lose.But he was never going to miss out on conditions like this. Armed with the new ball and on a surface offering variable bounce and movement off the seam, Shreck delivered a probing line and length, defeating Ben Scott with one that kept low, Jack Shantry’s hapless drive with one that swung back sharply and dismissed Neil Pinner to a return catch when the batsman adjusted to deal with Shreck’s late swing.The hosts are not out of this game, though. Nottinghamshire were soon reeling at 40 for 4 after Alan Richardson, also utilising the conditions expertly, claimed three early wickets. Akhil Patel and Mark Wagh edged deliveries that left them, while Adam Voges was trapped in front by one that kept horribly low.Had Damien Wright – Worcestershire’s leading wicket-taker – not limped off the field with a calf strain, the hosts could have made further inroads. As it was, however, the excellent Richardson lacked support and Nottinghamshire’s sixth-wicket paid of Chris Read and Patel were able to stage a partial recovery. Their stand if currently worth 43. On this pitch, that’s a highly valuable contribution.Patel’s batting stood out. The match, apparently an uneven battle between bat and ball when colleagues faced, was transformed when Patel was on strike. Lots of batsmen can shine on flat tracks; class shows in circumstances like this.Wright, meanwhile, will undergo a scan and is most unlikely to take any further part in the game. Indeed, he may well have bowled his last ball for the club.It might just have been Mark Wagh’s final first-class innings, too. He is intending to retire in August but, after failing to pass 50 in 18 innings this season, there seems every chance the club might bring that date forward. Alex Hales is set to return to first team action for Friday’s T20 match.Still, either side could still win this game. Nottinghamshire’s lead is only 84 and Worcestershire should be able to chase anything under 170. It promises to be an intriguing final day.Meanwhile ‘Shankargate’ rumbles on. It has been suggested by some that Worcestershire should strip the disgraced Adrian Shankar of his club colours. And it’s true he scarcely deserves to have his name listed along the likes of Kenyon, Hick, Flavell and Turner. It might, however, set a dangerous precedent. After all, the last time a player lied to the club about his age (Basil D’Oliveira), they named a stand after him. Sometimes it’s better just to move on.

Robin Martin-Jenkins, the Sussex allrounder, has announced that he will retire from first-class cricket this summer

Cricinfo staff26-May-2010Robin Martin-Jenkins, the Sussex allrounder, has announced that he will retire from first-class cricket this summer. The current County Championship match against Worcestershire will be his last four-day match at Hove, his home ground.Robin, 35, is set to embark on a new career as a Geography and RS teacher at Hurstpierpoint College, when the new term begins this September. He won’t be available for selection after July 19, when Sussex and Worcestershire meet at a Pro 40 match at Hove.The son of leading cricket journalist, author, and cricket correspondent Christopher Martin-Jenkins, Robin made his first-class debut in 1995 and has scored 7174 runs and taken 378 wickets. He had a better career as a bowler in limited-overs games, taking 234 wickets and scoring 1996 runs in 228 matches.”I could have carried on, but I didn’t want to get to the stage where I was holding on too long and not performing,” Robin said. “I’m still enjoying it and I’m going out in a period when I’m still playing well, but I’ve been given a fantastic opportunity outside of cricket now and I intend to grab it with both hands. It’s a good time for the club too as there are some excellent young players coming through.”It’s been amazing to play for the club in what has been probably their greatest decade ever, it’s been a great honour. Yes, there were some tough times when I first broke into the team but that made guys like me stronger cricketers, and we reaped the rewards with the countless trophies we went on to win”.Robin was talked of as a potential allrounder for England, but never made the grade. “I have no regrets. I have always given my all throughout my career and I’ve been very proud to play for Sussex,” Robin added.Sussex chairman Jim May said Robin was a fantastic servant to the county over 15 seasons. “He has played a vital role in our sustained success and has certainly been an unsung hero of our three County Championship winning sides,” May said. “Not only is he an excellent allrounder, but he is also one of the genuinely nicest guys in the game. All of us here at Sussex are disappointed that Robin is leaving us whilst he is in the form of his life, but at the same time we are delighted that he has planned the next phase of his career, and we wish him well”.

Lewis Hill’s 71* also pivotal in eight-wicket win over Yorkshire

ECB Reporters Network08-Aug-2024Ian Holland starred for champions Leicestershire with ball and bat as they maintained hopes of a Metro Bank One-Day Cup title defence with a rain-affected eight-wicket win over Yorkshire at Scarborough, the Foxes chasing a revised 22-over target of 150.All-rounder Holland took the new ball and returned 2 for 39 from 10 overs before opening the batting with 42 off 25 balls as Leicestershire won for the fourth time in six fixtures to move into the top three places in Group B.Helped by captain Lewis Hill’s excellent 71 not out off 54 balls with four sixes, Holland dented Yorkshire’s chances. They lost for the third time in six having made 236 for 7 from 50 overs after being inserted before rain at the mid-innings interval forced a two-hour delay to 5pm.The Vikings recovered from 118 for 6 thanks to a career-best 60 from Dom Bess and 55 not out for Matthew Revis, the seventh-wicket pair sharing 112. But the exploits of Holland and then Hill usurped their contributions.Alongside Holland, Tom Scriven and 17-year-old debutant Alex Green also struck twice apiece in Leicestershire’s five-man seam attack.The champions were exceptional with the ball during the first half of the innings having elected to bowl on the same pitch used for Yorkshire’s win against Essex on Tuesday.Along with taking four early wickets, reducing the Vikings to 79 for 4 inside 25 overs, they exerted significant control and conceded only three boundaries in that time.Tall Academy seamer Green encouraged after Holland had struck twice with the new ball to get Fin Bean caught behind and Shan Masood at cover.Holland also had a hand in the third wicket as he took the catch at mid-on after Harry Duke had miscued a pull at Scriven before James Wharton, for 23, pulled Roman Walker to deep midwicket.
Just when Yorkshire tried to accelerate, with George Hill and Luxton hitting a six apiece, they were checked by both men departing in quick succession as the score fell to 118 for six in the 35th over.Hill was caught in the ring off a miscued pull at Green before Luxton was caught behind against Scriven.But as good as Leicestershire were early on, Bess and Revis matched them late on in their century partnership to give Yorkshire a competitive total.They shared three leg-side sixes and reached their fifties late in an innings which saw 93 runs come from the last 10 overs. Revis got to 50 first off 47 balls and before Bess’s came off 48. Both finished having faced 51 balls.Bess had hit an unbeaten 53 – also a career best – in Tuesday’s win against Essex.Even though Leicestershire were helped by Duckworth Lewis Stern, their task still didn’t look straightforwards given ideal bowling conditions under gloomy skies.But Holland set the tone by square driving Hill for four after three balls of the chase.He found the boundary regularly afterwards and was strong on both sides of the wicket.And the loss of opening partner Sol Budinger – caught at mid-on off Hill, 18 for one – was not costly.When Holland fell, well caught at square-leg by diving sub-fielder Yash Vagadia off Dom Leech, the Foxes had control at 62 for two in the eighth over.Hill hit Dan Moriarty’s left-arm spin for six over long-off – his second six – as Leicestershire reached the 10-over mark at 80 for two. And when Hill reached his fifty off 37 balls, the game was all but over at 113 for two in the 14th.Hill dominated an unbroken 90 stand with third-wicket partner Ajinkya Rahane (28) as victory was sealed with 2.2 overs remaining.