Foxes lose great Twenty20 opener

Date: Tuesday 26 May 2009

Yorkshire Carnegie 149-7 (Vaughan 35, McGrath 30, Naik 2-22, Henderson 2-32) (2pts) beat Leicestershire Foxes 148-3 (Ackerman 66*, Taylor 31, Nixon 31, Naved 2-22) (0 pts) by three wickets.

Ajmal Shahzad's cameo innings ensured Yorkshire Carnegie won a pulsating game with Leicestershire Foxes on the penultimate ball at Headingley Carnegie on Bank Holiday Monday.

Yorkshire had looked in the pound seats on 105-2 after 14 chasing 149 to win. However, the Foxes hit back to set up an intriguing finale.

The team took five wickets for fifteen runs in the space of four overs to leave Yorks needing 22 from the last two overs.

However, Shahzad struck fifteen runs from the 19th over, and Simon Guy added a single to leave Carnegie needing six runs from the final over.

And, despite some brilliant death bowling by Wayne White - who was making his full Twenty20 debut - the hosts crept home from the last-but-one delivery. In total, Shahzad made 17 from eight deliveries to claim the man-of-the-match award and two points for his team.

Earlier in the day, the Foxes, under the leadership of Boeta Dippenaar for the first time in Twenty20 cricket, won the toss and elected to bat at Headingley Carnegie.

Jim Allenby and HD Ackerman opened the batting, and the all-rounder struck a six over mid-wicket in the third over.

Unfortunately he departed in the next in a similar area, caught by David Wainwright off the bowling of Naved with the score on 17.

Ackerman dropped anchor and set a platform with James Taylor (31), with the youngster playing a number of innovative shots during a stand of 65.

Taylor lapped a sweep straight over the wicket-keeper's head for four off Pyrah, and then reverse-swept David Wainwright for another boundary.

Ackerman picked up a number of ones and twos in support of his partner and upped the tempo nicely as the innings went on.

His innings included a six over mid-wicket off Pyrah and a three through gully off the next ball as the score read 63-1 at the halfway stage.

Taylor kept the charge going in the 11th, striking a straight four off Wainwright, and Ackerman clubbed a boundary from Shahzad's next over mid-wicket.

Anthony McGrath bought himself into the attack in the 13th to good effect, conceding only three runs.

He also claimed the key wicket of Taylor, who perished as he had prospered on the sweep. It took a one-handed at square-leg by Deon Kruis to dismiss the teenager after making an entertaining 31 from 30 balls.

Nixon came to the crease and was busy from word go, scoring two boundaries in the 14th off Shahzad. His third four bought up the hundred in the next, with the total on 102-2 after 15.

Ackerman pulled an almighty six from the next ball, pulling Pyrah well into the Western Terrace. His fifty came up shortly after from his 44th delivery, and he scored two fours and two sixes in the milestone.

Ackerman stroked another fine four over cover off the all-rounder, and in total, fifteen runs came from the 16th over.

Nixon (31) continued his excellent knock, striking a huge straight six off the returning Naved that was lost down an exit in the stand at the Kirkstall Lane End temporarily!

However, the bowler gained his revenge by bowling the batsman for 31 off just 21 balls, and it ended a super stand of 53 in just 5.3 overs.

The wicket stalled momentum somewhat, with the Foxes scoring 13 runs from the final two and ending on 148-3. Ackerman was unbeaten on 66 from 56 balls, while Dippenaar joined him and finished on three not out.

In reply, home captain McGrath (30) struck two fours off the second over to get his side up and running.

Andrew Gale (27) followed suit with two of his own from the next, but County thought they'd make a breakthrough in the fourth.

Allenby made a brilliant interception at mid-wicket and threw down the stumps with McGrath looking short of his ground, but umpire Neil Mallender was unsure if the ball had hit the stumps directly.

That left the score on 33-0 after four, and the Foxes were in need of a boost. Allenby and Claude Henderson came on first change within the powerplay as Dippenaar changed tack by taking the pace off the ball.

McGrath was well set though, and struck a nice drive through the covers and a powerful blow over the top to take Carnegie past 50 in the sixth.

The batsman also hit another straight four as 15 runs and a leg bye came from Henderson's opener.

Allenby (1-29 from four) struck in his second though, having the batsman caught at deep cover playing an expansive drive. White held a good catch to dismiss the captain.

Another England batsman came to the crease in Michael Vaughan (35) to bat with Gale, although the opener fell shortly after. Allenby was again in the action by catching the left-hander off Henderson, with the score on 64-2 after 8.

Dippenaar rotated his bowlers in an attempt to unsettle the batsmen, but Vaughan and Jacques Rudolph took the score to 75-2 at the halfway stage.

Vaughan then found the boundary towards the end of the 11th and at the start of the 12th to keep the momentum going.

Alex Roberts - who was making his Foxes' Twenty20 bow - could have had Vaughan from his second ball for the club, but Ackerman couldn't hang onto a steepling catch at short fine-leg. The duo kept going at a decent rate, and by the end of the 13th, Carnegie required 48 from seven.

Allenby sent down a tight third over as only four runs were taken from the 14th, and Henderson (2-32 from four) capitalised in the following as Taylor took a sensational catch at long-on to dismiss Rudolph.

It meant the score was 112-3 with five overs to go, with a further 37 runs needed. The all-action Taylor (1-10 from two) sent down a cracking 16th over, restricting the batsmen to just four runs and trapping Adam Lyth leg-before.

When Naik trapped Vaughan leg-before in the 17th, the Foxes had their tails up, but Naved took nine runs from his first three balls to swing the pendulum again.

However, Naik (2-22 from three) struck back by having Pyrah caught at backward point by White to leave the hosts needing 24 from three overs with four wickets in hand.

White was recalled into the attack and claimed a massive blow having the dangerous Naved caught behind by Nixon. It was the fifth wicket in four overs and part of a quite brilliant over, as the bowler only conceded two runs in the process.

The Foxes may well have thought the wicket of Naved was the vital one, but the topsy-turvy game then changed again as Shahzad took 13 from the first four balls of Allenby's last over.

Shahzad did offer a difficult chance with an aerial shot down to long-on from the second delivery, but it slipped agonisingly through Taylor's hands and dropped centimetres over the boundary for a double blow.

Guy then added a single and Shahzad took two off the last to make a critical tally of 16 in total. It was cruel on Allenby, whose first three overs had cost only 13.

It meant Carnegie needed six runs off the last to be bowled by White (1-24 from 3.5), who showed nerves of steel but had no luck. Guy played and missed at the first but nicked a crucial four off the second.

Guy then swung and missed at the third, before nudging a single to leave one needed from two. Shahzad then scrambled a single off the penultimate ball to ensure victory, despite White’s very best efforts.