Leicestershire 273 for five (Rishi Patel 110, Shaikh 104*, Ryan Patel 3-44) beat Surrey 270 for 9 (Ryan Patel 97, Thomas 57, de Swardt 4-49, Davey 3-46) by 5 wickets
The 2 Patels, each openers and each carrying the No. 26 shirt, performed two of the three dominant innings of the day, with Ryan additionally dismissing his namesake whereas taking 3 for 44 from 9 overs of medium tempo in a heroic, however useless try to stop Leicestershire from chasing down Surrey’s 270 for 9.
De Swardt had earlier claimed 4 for 49 from his ten overs whereas Josh Davey completed with 3 for 46 in a superb Foxes bowling efficiency.
Ryan Patel top-scored with 97ɉۢPhilip Brown/Getty Photos/Surrey CCC
Shaikh accomplished his hundred simply earlier than the top however it was Patel – who will be a part of Hampshire on the finish of the season – who spearheaded the chase from the second he flicked Benji Floros’s first ball for six at the beginning of the second over after which simply as contemptuously further cowl drove the second ball for 4.
In all, Patel struck two sixes and 15 fours from 109 balls earlier than Ryan Patel – recalled for a 3rd spell – had him caught at cowl from his first ball again.
By then, although, Leicestershire had been 182 for 3, with nearly 15 overs remaining, and the stage was set for Shaikh to information them residence.
Surrey, put in, misplaced Dom Sibley for 11 within the ninth over when he tickled a legside catch to the keeper off Davey, and Leicestershire’s seamers had been testing with the brand new ball on a pitch with a bit of little bit of adolescence in it.
Patel and Thomas, nonetheless, constructed their partnership in mature and measured style, with Patel offering a lot of the acceleration as he went to his half-century in 56 balls.
… then struck with the brand new ball•Philip Brown/Getty Photos/Surrey CCC
There have been two leg-side sixes because the left-hander impressed once more on the bottom the place, in the identical competitors in 2021, he scored a outstanding 70-ball 131 with no fewer than 10 maximums.
Thomas, in kind following a match-winning 82 not out in Surrey’s victory towards Lancashire at Sedbergh College on Tuesday, stroked six fours in one other tremendous innings however his dismissal – caught at deep backward sq. leg within the thirty sixth over – gave de Swardt the primary of his 4 scalps.
Rory Burns saved Patel firm for some time however Josh Blake was leg-before to de Swardt first ball after Patel had swatted to deep mid wicket three runs in need of a fifth Listing 100.
Burns, for 27, was one other to fall to a catch within the deep and, collectively, the Surrey decrease order may solely provide the odd huge shot because the innings considerably fell away towards a disciplined Leicestershire assault.
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