O'Brien powers Leics to easy win

Leicestershire made it consecutive wins in the NatWest t20 Blast North Division after recording a dominant eight-wicket victory over Durham at Grace Road.

The home side impressed with both ball and bat, first limiting Durham to 123 for five after the visitors opted for first use of a well-grassed but relatively slow pitch, and then reaching their victory target with 27 balls to spare.

Kevin O'Brien played a key role in the win, taking two for 20 off his three overs including that of Duham's top-scorer Phil Mustard for 45 before clubbing an unbeaten 48 off 34 balls to power Leicestershire home.

Durham skipper Mark Stoneman's decision to bat first after winning the toss looked like it might pay off when the first over, bowled by part-time off-spinner Neil Pinner, yielded 15 runs.

However, Foxes captain Mark Cosgrove turned to his seamers and in the third over Stoneman, looking to pull a short delivery from Rob Taylor, bottom edged the ball into his stumps.

Calum MacLeod was becoming increasingly frustrated when he stepped across his stumps and attempted to scoop a O'Brien delivery over the wicket-keeper's head, and succeeded only in edging a simple catch to Ned Eckersley at point.

Mustard pulled and square drove boundaries off O'Brien in the 11th over, but in the 12th Paul Collingwood tried to lift the off-spin of Jigar Naik over long off, and was well held by Grant Elliott to make it 62 for three.

The New Zealander then dropped a fierce chance off Mustard, on 41, but the left-hander added only four more runs to his score when he was held by Taylor at long off from the bowling of O'Brien.

John Hastings did his best to increase the scoring rate, hitting three beautifully-timed boundaries in going to 21 off 13 balls, and together with Gordon Muchall (31 off 27 balls), added 37 for the sixth wicket to set Leicestershire 124 to win.

A target of just over six an over always looked likely to be inadequate, however, and though Hastings bowled well at Cosgrove when Leicestershire began their innings, youngster Paul Coughlin was lofted high over long-on and into the players' car park by the Australian left-hander.

Coughlin got his revenge, catching Cosgrove at deep extra cover off Usman Arshad, and Scott Borthwick pinned Eckersley leg before wicket so that after 10 overs the Foxes were only just ahead of the required rate.

Had Borthwick won a stumping decision when Elliott was only three, matters might have become really interesting, but after several replays, third umpire Tim Robinson decided there was sufficient doubt to reprieve the New Zealander.

Salt was rubbed into the wound when O'Brien and Elliott took 20 off Borthwick's next over, and off-spinner Ryan Pringle received similar treatment as Leicestershire cantered home with 27 balls to spare.

O'Brien finished with three fours and three sixes, while sharing in an unbroken 78-run stand with Elliott, whose 23-ball 34 included one six and three fours.

Cosgrove said after the match: "I don't think the pitch was too bad at all, I think we bowled pretty well on it, and then the batsmen took us home.

"It's good to back up on beating Derbyshire in our last match, and hopefully we can take the form into our game at Worcester on Friday night."