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Foxes beat Notts to reach One-Day Cup final

40 minutes ago

One-Day Cup, men’s semi-final, Uptonsteel Grace Road

Leicestershire 303-7 (50 overs): Shaikh 104, Kelly 53; Pennington 3-65

Nott Outlaws 280 all out (49 overs): McCann 64, Hameed 54; A Green 4-40

Leicestershire beat Notts Outlaws by 23 runs

Leicestershire reached their second One-Day Cup final in four years, overcoming Notts Outlaws by 23 runs in their semi-final at Grace Road.

Hamza Shaikh set the 2023 competition winners on their way to the decider against Middlesex, scoring a match-defining 104 off 109 balls as the Foxes set a challenging 303-7 to chase.

The 20-year-old, who joined Leicestershire from Warwickshire just a month ago, combined with Nick Kelly (53) for a 117-run fourth-wicket partnership to give Notts plenty to do.

Shaikh eventually fell to Liam Patterson-White, while Dillon Pennington went on to claim 3-65 for the Outlaws.

Notts, aiming to reach their first home final since the List A decider was moved to Trent Bridge from Lord’s in 2021, started well with openers Ben Martindale and Freddie McCann putting on 63 in 11 overs.

But, with his first delivery, England all-rounder Rehan Ahmed trapped Martindale leg before for 43.

The Outlaws’ chase slowed after that, and while the 69-run partnership between McCann and captain Haseeb Hameed helped to steady the visitors, a mix-up cost the opener his wicket on 63 as he was run out.

When 19-year-old Alex Green, who would finish with 4-40, dismissed the ever-dangerous Kyle Verreynne (43) and Farhan Ahmed in the space of four balls in the 48th over, Leicestershire’s victory was all but assured.

The Foxes’ showdown with Middlesex will be the sixth One-Day Cup final to be played at Trent Bridge since English cricket’s only remaining List A competition left Lord’s in 2019.

The first planned Nottingham final in 2020 was wiped out by the Covid pandemic, but there have been five since, all won by counties some would consider unfashionable: Glamorgan (twice), Kent, Leicestershire and Worcestershire.