du Toit and White shine in Foxes triumph

Outstanding performances from Jacques du Toit and Wayne White were the cornerstones of Leicestershire Foxes’ impressive 47-run victory against Nottinghamshire Outlaws in the Clydesdale Bank 40-over opener.

du Toit struck the ball cleanly throughout as he made 141 from just 122 balls with fourteen fours and three sixes while White took a career-best 6-29 from six overs as the side registered an impressive win.

du Toit virtually batted for all but eight balls in the innings and he shared stands of 98 with Will Jefferson - who got things off to a flyer with a quickfire 55 - and 87 with Paul Nixon (37) as the team posted 282-6.

White then tore through the Notts middle order as the Outlaws were dismissed for 235 in 37 overs as the Foxes started their one-day campaign in fine style with two points at Grace Road.

Earlier in the day, Nottinghamshire Outlaws won the toss and elected to field first in the new-look competition.

The Foxes were sporting their new colours of gold shirts and green trousers, while the umpires couldn't be missed; they were wearing bright blue tops with luminous green sleeves.

The side showed two changes from the Championship win at Derbyshire. du Toit and Nadeem Malik came in for Matthew Boyce – who has been unwell this week – and Nathan Buck, who was rested following a hectic start to the new season.

Jefferson opened the batting against his former club and got the scoreboard moving with a fine drive wide of mid on off Andre Adams.

du Toit opened his boundary account with a glance through mid-wicket and Jefferson again found the ropes in the third over with a flowing cover drive.

Jefferson pulled through square-leg in the fourth and was looking in fine touch indeed. A drive through mid-on also flew away and the Foxes were 27-0 after the fourth over.

The opener continued his boundary charge with another fine stroke wide of mid-wicket and was timing the ball beautifully. du Toit was also going well; the batsman hit a four over the top of mid-on to keep the momentum going.

The fifty stand came up in the eighth as du Toit shimmied down the track and played a wonderful cover drive as Paul Franks entered the attack.

The score was 54-0 after the first powerplay block of eight and Notts immediately took their block of four. Jefferson greeted that with a blow over the top and du Toit also smashed one over the in-field as the score reached 66 after ten.

Steven Mullaney entered the equation but Jefferson took 17 off his first over - including four boundaries. The medium pacer is generally economical but Jefferson was in destructive mode.

He did offer a chance in the twelfth when lofting Franks to mid-on but Samit Patel couldn't hold on as he ran backwards.

A lofted drive wide of mid on took the batsman to fifty off 34 balls and the knock included eleven fours at that stage.

Patel and Graeme White were then introduced as Chris Read opted for a complete change of tack. The move immediately reaped rewards as just seven runs came from the next three overs and two wickets were lost.

White bowled Jefferson for 55 with the last ball of his opening over and Patel then claimed the wicket of James Taylor. The batter, who had advanced down the track, was adjudged leg-before.

It was a purple patch for Notts. However, du Toit moved to a 61-ball fifty which included five fours at that stage and he constructed a stand with Nixon.

The Foxes had progressed to 117-2 at the halfway stage. The duo were consolidating following the double loss and a Nixon sweep that went very fine provided a welcome boundary.

Slow left arm spinner White, who had surprisingly only bowled one over earlier, then re-entered the fray. Nixon immediately drove him for four through extra as ten were taken from his returning over.

Read was continuing to shuffle the pack and Mullaney was also bought back. du Toit lofted a fine blow for six to bring up the fifty stand and 150 team total.

Twenty runs had come from two overs and the injection of impetus came at just the right time. A fine Nixon switch-hit - which went through conventional cover - ensured eight came off the next and the team were progressing nicely.

du Toit smashed another straight six in the 27th and with 36 coming off four, the Foxes took their batting powerplay.

There was rain in the air but Nixon smashed the first ball for four through backward point. du Toit then played the shot of the innings with a pick-up off Darren Pattinson that simply flew over the mid-wicket ropes.

Thirteen runs came from the first powerplay over and 49 had come from five overs. The team lost their third wicket though when Nixon did not fully get hold of a shot and he lofted the ball in the air to cover, where Mullaney took the catch.

Josh Cobb came to partner du Toit and the opener glanced one down the leg side. With fine leg up, it raced to the boundary.

Cobb then played a powerful cut for four off the back foot and then drove beautifully through extra as the 200 came up. The batter was dismissed for ten as he miscued a pull off Adams. Mullaney took the catch to ensure a carbon copy entry in the scorebook.

du Toit was still going at a fair pace and moved to his century from his 97th ball with a drive down the ground. He hit six fours and three sixes in the landmark. It was a really fine innings and he wasn’t finished there; a deft late cut also raced for four.

With six overs to go, the Foxes were on 223-4. Tom New made eight but pulled the returning Franks to mid-wicket, where Pattinson took the catch. White was then reintroduced at the Bennett End and his namesake Wayne got off the mark with a great reverse-sweep.

du Toit looked in complete control and then played a number of exquisite strokes. Giving himself room to strike through the off-side, the batsman peppered the boundary from third man round to backward point.

They were all delicate and well-placed strokes and the score went past 250. du Toit again played adroitly through third man by creating space in the crease again.

Three more fours raced away at the start of the penultimate over as du Toit drove over backward point, over the top and through cover. He perished from the next ball - caught by White at cover - but that couldn't take the gloss off a wonderful innings.

White hit the first ball of the last through cover and in total, 44 came off the last three overs to ensure the knock ended with momentum.
　
It all meant Notts needed to go at seven runs an over but they started with real purpose. Alex Hales and Hashim Amla both have played well at Grace Road in the past and they both played extremely well.

The South Africa international stroked for four through cover off the back foot early on and was always going to be a pivotal figure in the reply.

Hales played drives off both the back and front foot and also hit over the top for six as the visitors started with intent. Their fifty came up after exactly seven overs and two fine Amla drives in the eight both went for four through cover.

Skipper Matthew Hoggard introduced himself at the Pavilion End and Claude Henderson was also bought on within the second powerplay and the team needed a wicket.

There was the half-chance of a run out when an off-balanced du Toit threw at the stumps, but Amla made his ground before New could whip off the bails.

Things were starting to happen though and Hoggard struck an important blow. The captain had Hales caught by Jefferson at short extra to end the 96-run stand.

That wicket created some pressure and Henderson sent down the game's first maiden to turn the screw. Hoggard struck for a second time in as many overs as Mark Wagh edged through to New when trying to push the ball down to third man.

Amla moved to fifty from 37 balls with six fours and White came on at the Bennett End. From Leicestershire's perspective, Amla needed removing and White, who is having an impressive start to the season, claimed the prize scalp in the 20th over.

The all-rounder had Amla caught on the pull for 53 as AJ Harris – who took three catches in the deep in total - held a good effort at fine leg.

Cobb's off-breaks were utilised as Hoggard continued to rotate the bowlers. White was doing a grand job and took another key wicket when having the ever-dangerous Ali Brown caught by Nixon at deep cover.

There was still plenty to do as Patel was constructing an innings and Read is always a key component of the Outlaws side. There was also the batting powerplay up the visitors' sleeve.

Cobb was whistling through his overs though and after 25, the Outlaws were 148-4. That left a target of 135 from 15 at a rate of nine an over.

White came off having taken 2-20 from four and Harris struck immediately upon his return. He had his former captain Read caught on the pull at deep mid-wicket by Cobb.

The visitors were 170-5 after 29 after Mullaney found the boundary ropes and that left them needing 113 off 11. The Outlaws then took their batting powerplay and the game was at the do-or-die stage for the batting side.

Mullaney is a gutsy player and a flick down to fine leg was followed by a pick-up for six and a lofted drive. The young man was batting with vigour and a top-edged pull also found the ropes.

Fortune was favouring the brave and Patel then nicked through the vacant cordon as the visitors capitalised on the fielding restrictions. Mullaney drove a straight six and 35 had been notched from the first three overs of the powerplay as the stand went past 50.

Henderson returned and the last powerplay over cost just five runs. Patel moved to a well-played fifty in the process from 63 deliveries and the visitors needed 73 from seven.

In the past, you could have forgotten chasing that sort of target, but in the modern-day of t20, it was still very much game on.

Mullaney and Patel had no intention of giving up the ghost but White returned to take the wicket of the former Lancashire man, who made an enterprising 41 from just 23 balls. The seamer now had 3-24 from five overs.

Notts were still fighting and Patel struck a six as Notts required 61 off the last five. Still, it only needed one good over for the Foxes – and boy, did White provide it!

The recently turned 25-year-old had a golden over to wrap things up. He struck for a fourth time as Patel fell for a valiant 59 and then took his fifth next ball as Franks was caught by Jefferson at long off.

Adams survived the hat-trick ball but was then castled as White claimed six of the best. When Henderson had Pattinson caught in the deep at the end of the 37th over, the job had been completed. It had been a job very well done; another excellent all-round performance.