Leicestershire Foxes v Notts Outlaws T20 preview

While England’s footballers will explore the definition of a “must-win” game tonight in Brazil, two East Midlands teams meet at Grace Road knowing more than just local pride is at stake.

Leicestershire currently lie eighth in the North Group having won just one NatWest T20 Blast match this summer, while Nottinghamshire sit one place higher in seventh having won just two of their five matches. Both sides therefore know a win is imperative this evening if they harness any realistic hope of progressing in the competition.

The Outlaws are without batsman Michael Lumb, who is sidelined for four weeks with an arm injury. The opener capped 27 times by England in T20 internationals picked up the injury during Nottinghamshire’s remarkable six-wicket win over Middlesex in the County Championship on Tuesday. Australian Phil Jaques is drafted into the squad as his replacement, while former-Foxes stars James Taylor and Harry Gurney are likely to play against their old county.

The Foxes meanwhile welcome back seam bowler Nathan Buck, who made a successful return from injury in their County Championship defeat to Worcestershire this week. The 23-year-old injured a finger in the T20 match against the Rapids and missed the defeat to Lancashire, but he is back in the squad after taking five Worcestershire wickets in the second innings midweek.

Neither side will be particularly happy with their results in the competition so far this summer, Leicestershire having lost four on the bounce since they defeated Derbyshire by 27 runs in their opening fixture. Although Nottinghamshire also managed to beat Derbyshire at the beginning of the month, they will be pleased to be playing away from Trent Bridge, having lost three successive T20 matches at home – to Birmingham, Durham and Worcestershire.

The last time the two teams met was in the corresponding fixture at Grace Road last season, which the Foxes won by seven wickets thanks to a knock of 67* by their skipper Josh Cobb. Nottinghamshire won the other T20 match between the pair last year, chasing down Leicestershire’s 183-8 inside 18 overs at Trent Bridge. If these contests are anything to go by, the match this evening could be another run-fest, with both teams desperate for vital points.

Key Men

With Michael Lumb absent through injury, the onus to provide the impetus at the top of the batting order will fall on England T20 specialist Alex Hales. The 25-year-old is far from a one-trick pony however, as he demonstrated this week by posting scores of 96 and 94 in Nottinghamshire’s impressive County Championship victory against Middlesex. The in-form batsman has also made runs in the T20 Blast this summer, including a destructive 63 from 32 balls versus Derbyshire and 30 off 16 balls against Birmingham Bears last week.

Despite their poor run of form in the competition of late, the emergence of 21-year-old Tom Wells has been a big positive for the Foxes. A promising all-rounder, who is currently unable to bowl due to a side strain, Wells’ powerful strokeplay (eight sixes in five matches) has led to him becoming a key man in the Foxes middle-order. Currently averaging 70 in the competition this year, Wells made a half century (51) from 30 balls versus Warwickshire and 45* off 28 balls against Worcestershire at home this month.

Team News

Foxes seam bowler Nathan Buck returns to the squad for tonight’s match after his successful return from injury against Worcestershire this week. Dan Redfearn also comes into the squad, with batsman Michael Thornley and spinner James Sykes dropping out.

Leicestershire Foxes squad: Niall O’Brien, Josh Cobb, Greg Smith, Ned Eckersley, Matthew Boyce, Dan Redfern, Tom Wells, Ben Raine, Rob Taylor, Anthony Ireland, Jigar Naik, Nathan Buck, Charlie Shreck.

Outlaws Director of Cricket Mick Newell has added three players to the eleven he selected for last week’s home defeat to the Birmingham Bears. Australian batsman Phil Jaques replaces Michael Lumb, while Luke Fletcher and Sam Kelsall are also in contention.

Nottinghamshire Outlaws squad: Alex Hales, Phil Jaques, James Taylor, Samit Patel, Riki Wessels, Chris Read, Steven Mullaney, Sam Wood, Ajmal Shahzad, Andy Carter, Harry Gurney, Luke Fletcher, Sam Kelsall.

Form 

Leicestershire: LLLLW

Nottinghamshire: LWLLW

Weather and Conditions

A cloudy start to the day is expected in Leicester, however sunny intervals could intervene in time for the match. Highs of 19 degrees celsius.

Date: 19^th June 2014

Ground: Grace Road, Leicestershire

Time: 5.30 pm

Odds: Foxes (7/4) Outlaws (1/2)

 

 

T20 Blast Off – Outlaws v Lightning preview

Trent Bridge plays host to what promises to be one of the most tantalising opening night encounters of the NatWest t20 Blast tonight.

Lancashire Lightning are the visitors to Nottingham, with both squads boasting some of the finest international talent England has to offer.

England’s swing-king James Anderson and wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler both feature in the Lightning squad, while the Outlaws boast an explosive line-up including former t20i number one Alex Hales, Michael Lumb, James Taylor and England new boy Harry Gurney.

Both sides were knocked out in the quarter-final stage of the tournament last year, but having won the ECB 40-over competition last season, the Outlaws are one of the bookies favourites to go all the way to the Edgbaston final.

Neither side has ever won the domestic t20 competition, with Notts finishing as runners-up in 2006 and making finals day in 2010. Lancashire’s best finish was also as runners-up in 2005 and they have also made finals day on four occasions, compared to Nottinghamshire’s two.

The two sides have already faced-off at Trent Bridge this season, with the home side winning the LVCC County Championship Division One match by 45 runs at the beginning of April. Ashwell Prince made a hundred for Lancashire in that match, while James Anderson and Tom Smith both picked up 5 wicket hauls. Nottinghamshire’s seamers shared the wickets around, while Samit Patel and Riki Wessels were both halted in the 90s.

Despite the rainy conditions in the county this week, Nottinghamshire come into the match off the back of a maximum points victory against Northants, in which Australian fast-bowler Peter Siddle and ex-England seamer Ajmal Shahzad both picked up four second innings wickets.

Lancashire on the other hand were defeated by ten wickets at Lord’s against Middlesex. There were some positives as Prince and Buttler continued their early season form with the bat, but the bowlers lacked potency with the ball.

Form in the four-day format will however go out of the window tonight, as one big performance from either of the sides’ international superstars could define the outcome of this game.

Key Men

Although he is yet to become a regular in their Championship side, Alex Hales is still the main man in the game’s shortest format. His breathtaking 116* to single-handedly guide England to victory over Sri Lanka in the World T20 back in March exemplified the sort of destruction he is capable of inflicting. Recalled from his brief loan spell at Worcestershire due to Steven Mullaney’s back injury, Hales was involved in their midweek win against Northamptonshire and he also made a half-century in the early win over Lancashire this summer.

Lightning signed England limited-overs wicketkeeper Jos Buttler from Somerset in the off-season, with the 23-year-old hoping the move might help him snatch the Test match gloves from Matt Prior. While the jury is still out regarding his suitability to the longer form, there is no argument about his one-day credentials. He is tidy with the gloves and utterly enthralling to watch with bat in hand. Buttler is well-known for his innovations and ability to manoeuvre the ball to all parts of the ground, but he also combines this with equally effective power hitting.

Team News

The Notts Outlaws include New-Zealand all-rounder in their squad for the match, while the fitness of seamer Andy Carter is a concern due to back pain. Director of Cricket Mick Newell will be forced to make a late call on the 25-year-old’s fitness, with Gurney, Adams, Shahzad and Luke Fletcher the likely seam attack. Steven Mullaney has recovered from a back strain and after scoring a hundred for the 2^nd XI he is likely to join Hales, Lumb, Taylor, Patel and Wessels in a formidable batting line-up.

Nottinghamshire Outlaws Squad:Alex Hales, Michael Lumb, James Taylor (C), Samit Patel, Riki Wessels, Chris Read, Steven Mullaney, Sam Wood, Ajmal Shahzad, Andy Carter, Harry Gurney, Luke Fletcher, Andre Adams

The Lightning have named a 13-man squad for the match at Trent Bridge, with coach/captain Glenn Chapple handing over the captaincy reigns to batsman Paul Horton. Pakistani overseas player Junaid Khan’s introduction has been delayed following difficulties obtaining his visa, although the left-arm fast bowler could make his Lightning return against Worcestershire Rapids at Emirates Old Trafford on Saturday night. Youngsters Clark, Lilley, White and Reece are likely to compete for the final spots in the eleven, with Alex Davies missing out due to Jos Buttler’s inclusion.

Lancashire Lightning Squad: Paul Horton (c), James Anderson, Karl Brown, Jos Buttler, Jordan Clark, Steven Croft, Alex Davies, Kabir Ali, Arron Lilley, Stephen Parry, Luis Reece, Tom Smith, Wayne White.

Weather and Conditions

The forecast is for overcast conditions but it should remain warm and dry. The possibility of humid weather could help the seam bowlers on a ground that has a reputation for assisting swing. This will please England duo Anderson and Gurney, who opened the bowling together against Scotland last week. The pair will however go head-to-head tonight and could be competing for a place in England’s limited-overs’ line-up against the touring Sri Lankans later this month.

Opta stat

Nottinghamshire Outlaws have won 38, tied one and lost 18 of their 57 completed home Twenty20 matches at Trent Bridge.

Date: 16th May 2014

Ground: Trent Bridge, Nottingham

Time: 6.30 pm 

Alex Hales – The best t20 batsman on the planet?

After firing England to victory in their final t20i match against Australia at Chester-le-Street, opening batsman Alex Hales has been ranked as the number one Twenty20 batsman in the world in the official International Cricket Council Twenty20 standings.

Hales blistering knock of 96 from 61 balls propelled England to a total of 195-5 from their 20.0 overs, with Australia falling 27 runs short of their target. England’s victory meant the t20i series was tied 1-1 and Hales subsequently picked up the man-of-the-match award. Furthermore, as a result of his performance, Hales also received 65 ranking points, taking him above New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum into first place. Australian duo Shane Watson and David Warner currently sit in 3^rd and 4^th position in the standings, whilst Martin Guptill, Mahela Jayawardene, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Chris Gayle and JP Duminy make up the rest of the top 10.

Outlaws opener Hales’ main strengths lie in his ability to take the attack to the bowlers from the off, taking full advantage of the fielding restrictions in the powerplay overs to thrust his team off to a fast start. Providing he stays at the crease beyond the first six overs, his ability to maintain that initial momentum by picking the gaps and continuing to score boundaries is of equal benefit to his team. Hales is undoubtedly a very talented t20 performer; but is the boy from Hillingdon, Middlesex, really the best t20i batsmen in the world?

In his twenty-one Twenty20 internationals, Hales has scored 665 runs at an average of 39.11 with a strike rate of 135.99. His highest t20i score came last summer against the West Indies, when he made 99 from 68 balls – the highest t20i score by an English batsmen – and in total he has scored six t20i fifties whacking 69 fours and 19 sixes. In total, domestically and internationally, Hales has played eighty-four t20 matches, amassing 2343 runs, averaging 30.42, with a strike rate of 139.21.

These are a very impressive collection of statistics, but how do they compare with his main rivals at the top of the ICC rankings? Number two in the standings, Kiwi supremo Brendon McCullum, averages 35.50 in t20 internationals, scoring 1882 runs in 61 innings, with a strike rate of 135.49. Despite the fact that McCullum has made two t20i hundreds and five in total – including a blistering 158* off 73 balls for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL’s inaugural match – his t20i record is slightly inferior to Hales. In fact, none of the other top ten candidates have a higher t20i average than Hales, with only Shane Watson, David Warner and Chris Gayle boasting better strike rates than the Nottinghamshire man.

However, Hales relative inexperience in the international arena is somewhat beneficial regarding his generous statistical record. For any commentator, journalist, coach, player or fan of world cricket will likely argue that best batsmen in the game’s shortest format is a Gayle, a McCullum or a Dhawan (etc), and not a Hales. To be one of the world’s best t20i batsmen, one needs to be a uniquely destructive force, feared by every bowling attack on the planet. In this regard, Hales still has a long way to go until his status is sufficient to be welcomed into such an exclusive gentlemen’s club.

In order to truly become one of the best players in the world, Hales needs to be consistently successful at all levels and across all formats over the next few years. Whilst proving his ability abroad in the IPL or the Big Bash would gain him much kudos, success on the home front would perhaps be a better place to start. Hales has struggled to get into Nottinghamshire’s County Championship side this season and in the Friends Life t20 competition, he was comfortably outscored by Hampshire’s Michael Carberry and Somerset’s Craig Kieswetter. Moreover, despite scoring the 4^th highest runs tally in the FLt20, Hales only placed 28^th on the 2013 averages list.

Thus, although Hales can take a big confidence boost from the fact that he has been ranked by the ICC as the best t20i player on the planet, this is simply a blurred reality. For despite being an undoubtedly talented young player, Hales is not even the best Twenty20 batsman in the country. Sorry, Alex.