Hodge passes 3,000 t20 career runs but Foxes go down to Royals

Date: Sunday 11 July 2010

Phil Jaques played the lead role as Leicestershire Foxes’ good form on their travels in the Friends Provident t20 came to an end at New Road.

Jaques, who was making his final appearance for the Royals this term, made an unbeaten 78 from 48 balls and shared 94 in 11.2 overs with Vikram Solanki en route to guiding his side to a six-wicket win with an over to spare.

The Foxes had posted 171-4 after great work from Brad Hodge and Paul Nixon but a failure to defend a decent total has been a problem this season and the theme continued here, which meant a rare away defeat was suffered.

Hodge made 70 from 50 balls and Nixon smashed 44 from just 16 deliveries to ensure the Foxes had a competitive tally but Jaques and Solanki took the game away from the team.

Given Derbyshire beat second placed Lancashire and Northants took a point from a tie with leaders Notts, the Foxes now have an uphill climb if they are to book a spot in the quarter finals.

It looks as though the team will need to win all of their remaining games to qualify after a week which has seen three consecutive defeats.

The loss was harsh on Hodge, Nixon and Claude Henderson, who all put in excellent individual performances despite the Royals inflicting the double over the Foxes.

The experienced trio all had good afternoons and Hodge led the way with a fine display of hitting and a good return of 1-12 from two overs.

His score saw him become the second batsmen to reach 3,000 t20 career runs – fellow countryman David Hussey having recently becoming the first – and his wicket was the crucial one of dangerman Sanath Jayasuriya.

When Hodge departed, Nixon was in belligerent form to give the side some late impetus. Henderson then conceded just 28 from his four overs as the spinners did a fine job but the seamers found the going tougher.

Hodge anchored the Foxes innings and shared in decent stands of 31, 27 and 51 respectively with Jacques du Toit, Will Jefferson and the returning James Taylor.

Nixon then shared 46 with James Benning in a brutal partnership that spanned just 20 balls to ensure the innings ended with fireworks. The fact that the usually destructive Benning was at the non-striker's end for most of the stand showed how well Nixon played.

The team were inserted by Daryl Mitchell for the second time in a week and with the Foxes liking to bat first, it was going to be another interesting match-up between two sides who were doing what they wanted to first.

Hodge and du Toit got things off to a positive start with the Australian making his intentions clear from an early stage.

du Toit also began well and hit four early boundaries in making 20 from 17 before being trapped leg before by Jack Shantry.

Jefferson fell to the bowling of Moeen Ali for seven as Mitchell took the catch but Hodge continued to go well and Taylor, who was returning to the side after England Lions duty in place of Wayne White, played a good supporting role.

The youngster was his usual busy self at the crease and he helped Hodge move past an excellent fifty, which came from 38 balls and included seven fours and a six.

After making 14 from 17 balls, Taylor was caught at deep mid wicket by Moeen off Mitchell in a reversal of Jefferson’s wicket.

At 119-3 in the sixteenth, the Foxes needed a kick but lost another wicket when Hodge fell for a fine seventy.

The Aussie had hit eight fours and two sixes before being run out by Mitchell and the Foxes were in danger of posting a below par score given their leading light had departed after being well set.

However, Nixon was in marvellous form and he plundered seven fours and a six in his short stay at the wicket. The 'keeper peppered the leg side boundary and Jayasuriya and Gareth Andrew conceded 39 off the last two overs of the innings as the ‘keeper let rip.

It meant the Foxes had finished with a brilliant flourish and the Royals had a tough chase which was probably twenty more than they bargained for at one stage.

Although Jaques and Jayasuriya started well – the Sri Lankan hit two sixes in the second over – Hodge came on and disrupted momentum with a critical wicket in the fifth over.

When Moeen was then caught by Henderson off former Royal Malik in the seventh, the Foxes had a foothold and cashed in.

Three parsimonious overs from Henderson and Benning ensured just fifteen runs came between overs seven and ten and at the halfway stage, Worcs were 73-2.

They therefore required 99 to win in the second half and although they had wickets in hand, the Foxes had the edge at that stage.

That was until Jaques and Solanki put their foot down. They took control of the chase with a classy partnership.

After getting themselves in, the accelerator was pushed. In two over blocks between overs ten and sixteen, the duo registered tallies of 22, 26 and 17 respectively.

That last figure was largely down to Henderson’s final over costing just six and the slow left armer’s good work ensured the Foxes got themselves back in it.

Jaques had passed fifty from 36 balls with five fours in the process but a target of 36 off four overs was by no means a walk in the park.

Although Solanki passed fifty from 39 balls with three fours and two leg side sixes, Matthew Hoggard removed his leg stump with 20 balls to go.

The Royals still needed 32 to win but Jaques then upped the ante after making his half-century as he struck three maximums. Andrew also hit a six to swing the pendulum.

The third last over went for 13 and that meant twelve runs were needed from the last two; an equation very much in the hosts’ favour.

Buck bowled Andrew to keep things interesting, but Alexei Kervezee struck a boundary before Jaques finished the job off in the same over.

It meant the Royals had won with six balls to spare and the Foxes were again left to rue what might have been.

The team now must win at Trent Bridge on Thursday and they will be hoping that Hodge’s Victorian Andrew McDonald can return to good effect in that match.