Leicestershire see off Lancashire in T20 semi-final
- Published
FL t20 semi-final, Edgbaston |
Leicestershire 132-6 (18ovs) beat Lancashire 79-6 (11ovs) (D/L) in a one-over eliminator |
Jefferson (left) was named man of the match against Lancashire
Will Jefferson hit a six in the one-over eliminator as Leicestershire beat Lancashire in a rain-hit semi-final.
Leicestershire made 132-6 in an innings reduced to 18 overs and, after more rain, Lancashire faced a revised target of 80 from 11 overs.
Needing seven from the final ball to win, Gareth Cross smashed a six to tie the match.
Jefferson's winning shot in the eliminator came with the Foxes, chasing 13, requiring four off two balls.
Leicestershire's victory means veteran wicketkeeper Paul Nixon will delay his impending retirement after they booked their place in the Champions League Twenty20 in India.
Nixon will be delighted not to have ended his career having been run out for 19 following a mix-up with Abdul Razzaq.
Pakistan all-rounder Razzaq contributed greatly to Leicestershire's innings, posting an unbeaten 36.
Lancashire, who have now been beaten three times in a T20 semi-final at Edgabston, were originally set a target of 134 off 18 overs to win via the Duckworth/Lewis method, before the wet weather returned with the Red Rose county 53-1 in the eighth over.
They could not have got off to a worse start after play resumed as Steven Croft was caught by Claude Henderson off Andrew McDonald.
Having hit four boundaries in five balls before the rain, Stephen Moore continued his dominance with the bat, hitting his first six before another boundary took him to 43.
After dismissing Karl Brown for just two, Josh Cobb then had Moore caught at backward point, before coming extremely close to claiming the first hat-trick on a Twenty20 finals day as Cross's shot slipped through his fingertips.
Cross then stunned the Leicestershire attack as he blasted the final ball of the innings over the boundary to take the match into a one-over eliminator.
Moore hit a six in the first delivery of Lancashire's six-ball innings but two dot balls at the end of the over from Henderson proved crucial.
Needing four runs off two balls, Jefferson, who made 23 off 15 balls in Leicestershire's initial innings, then smashed a six to give the Foxes a dramatic victory.