Leicestershire Foxes v Notts Outlaws, Fischer County Ground.
Notts 162-7 (Duckett 53, Moores 51, David 3-38), Leics 163-6 (Ackermann 67*, Mullaney 2-17, Patel 2-24).
Leicestershire Foxes won by four wickets.
They say that, if you’re looking for ebb and flow, T20 is not the game for you.
Destructive hitting, yes. Acrobatic fielding, absolutely. But a game which see-saws this way and that, a contest where each side has time to enjoy the ascendancy? Not in the county game’s shortest form.
On a sun-burnished evening at Grace Road, however, that is exactly what transpired.
A difficult start for the Outlaws, batting first on a tricky Fischer County Ground pitch.
A century partnership which brought hope, enjoyment, and maybe even a little expectation for those following the Green and Golds.
A start to the Foxes’ chase which saw umpires consulting the rulebook and spectators scratching their temples.
And a captain’s innings from Colin Ackermann to hand Notts a first defeat of their Vitality Blast campaign.
Ackermann marshalled his side home expertly, his unbeaten 67 from 53 balls proving the crucial contribution.
It displaced a typically busy knock of 53 from Ben Duckett as the highest score of the match, with the left-hander adding 104 for the fourth wicket with Tom Moores.
For Moores, this was a rare opportunity for an extended spell attacking the white ball.
And, after a watchful opening from the pair laid the foundations, the wicketkeeper-batsman dipped into his wristy repertoire.
A switch-hit and a scoop helped Notts to 14 from the 12th over.
And a short-armed jab over square leg for six was nothing short of extraordinary.
Moores made 51, the Outlaws 162, and an intriguing chase was in the offing. It was a chase which could hardly have begun in a more unusual fashion.
The Leicestershire innings was but five deliveries old when the umpires called a temporary halt to play. Exactly what was being signalled to the scorers wasn’t immediately clear. No-ball? Free hit? Penalty runs?
Out came the umpires’ well-thumbed rulebook as Dan Christian sought clarification for his side. Five penalty runs was the decree, with Steven Mullaney adjudged to have simulated an attempt to slide for the ball as the Foxes completed a run.
In a sport whose fans often pride themselves on knowing the minutiae of the game’s laws, it was a rule which had passed many by. And, in truth, all thirteen combatants on the field seemed a little shellshocked for the next few deliveries.
That all changed when Samit Patel injected impetus back into the contest, conjuring a beauty to bowl Nick Welch behind his legs.
Gareth Delany then offered the simplest of catching practice to Matthew Carter off Wasim.
But Arron Lilley and captain Colin Ackermann withstood the setbacks and played the blustery conditions with aplomb.
The pair took the hosts past 100, and into a seemingly commanding position until Lilley found the safe hands of Hales at long-on.
Then came that rarest of sights, a T20 wicket maiden, as Steven Mullaney saw off Harry Dearden, with a little help from Tom Moores’ athletic glovework.
And the Outlaws’ redoubtable middle-over maestro sent another Fox packing in his next over, George Rhodes skying one into the pouch of Imad Wasim.
From 102-2, Leicestershire were now 113-5. But while they had Ackermann, they had hope.
The Foxes’ captain knew that there was no need for flamboyancy. Rather, a steady hand and a cool head would be key here.
The loss of Lewis Hill, bowled by Patel, did little to derail the hosts, with Callum Parkinson arriving to add two boundaries of his own.
And it would be he who scampered the winning runs from the fifth ball of the final over.
*******
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