T20 Blast 2022 | LEI vs LAN | Preview, Prediction, Probable XI, CREX XI

The 53rd match of the English T20 Blast 2022 will see Leicestershire (LEI) coming up against Lancashire (LAN) in the North Group at Grace Road in Leicester.

After losing the first two home games, Leicestershire is back to Grace Road, hosting the table toppers Lancashire this time with a brilliant win over Worcestershire on Sunday. Naveen-ul-Haq shone with the ball as he registered a career-best figure 5 for 11, also the second best in Leicester county’s history. 

It was their third win on Sunday (June 5th), making it three out of three for the Foxes away from home. They will be back to Grace Road for their home fixture against Lancashire, where the latter has a one-sided record, leading 10-2, in a total of 15 games played between these two teams at this venue. 

Meanwhile, Lancashire are sitting at the top of the North Group with four wins in five games, winning the last four in a row. They were only challenged by rivals Yorkshire in the Roses clash, even where they managed to tie the game at last. 

In the end, Lancashire players held their nerves as they defeated Northamptonshire by just two wickets in their last game on Friday (June 3rd). Needing six to win off the final over, they found themselves in some trouble when both set batters lost their way to the pavilion at the start of the over, but with three needed off one ball, Neesham bowled a wide and then a no-ball to give Lancashire their fourth win of the season. 

Their next encounter at Grace Road means an opportunity to increase the gap at the top, considering their dominating record at the venue. In form, Phil Salt, Liam Livingstone, and Tim David will all be looking to build on their recent performance. 

The two teams met only once last season, with Lancashire winning the game by 16 runs.

Steven Croft is the all-time highest run scorer in this fixture’s history, with 556 runs against Leicestershire in his T20 career. On the other side, Ben Mike has been one of the best players this season. The all-rounder has 142 runs at a strike rate of almost 160 and eight wickets with the ball. He also has an impressive strike rate of 177 against Lancashire in his career.

Match Details:

Match: Leicestershire vs Lancashire, Match 53

Venue: Grace Road, Leicester

Date & Time: June 7th at 11:00 PM IST

Live Streaming: FanCode and ECB website.

Pitch Report: In two games this season at Grace Road, the team batting first have convincingly won both games. However, we saw the wicket improve as the season progressed last year. The average first innings total is around 170. The team winning the toss should bat first. 

Head-To-Head

Matches played: 33

Leicestershire Won: 10

Lancashire Won: 19

Squads:

Leicestershire: Hamish Rutherford, Lewis Hill (wk), Arron Lilley, Colin Ackermann (c), Rishi Patel, Louis Kimber, Ben Mike, Rehan Ahmed, Roman Walker, Callum Parkinson, Naveen-ul-Haq, Will Davis, Gavin Griffiths, Scott Steel.

Lancashire: Phil Salt (wk), Keaton Jennings, Steven Croft, Liam Livingstone, Tim David, Dane Vilas (c), Danny Lamb, Luke Wood, Tom Hartley, Richard Gleeson, Tom Bailey, Josh Bohannon, Liam Hurt, Luke Wells, Matt Parkinson

Probable Playing XI:

Leicestershire: Hamish Rutherford, Scott Steel, Lewis Hill (wk), Arron Lilley, Colin Ackermann (c), Rishi Patel, Ben Mike, Rehan Ahmed, Will Davies, Callum Parkinson, Naveen-ul-Haq.

Lancashire: Phil Salt (wk), Keaton Jennings, Steven Croft, Liam Livingstone, Tim David, Dane Vilas (c), Danny Lamb, Luke Wells, Luke Wood, Matt Parkinson, Richard Gleeson.

CREX XI Suggestion:

Wicket-Keeper: Philip Salt

Batters: Colin Ackermann, Tim David, Rishi Patel

All-Rounders: Liam Livingstone, Rehan Ahmed, Scott Steel, Ben Mike

Bowlers: Naveen-ul-Haq, Richard Gleeson, Luke Wood

Captain: Liam Livingstone

Vice-Captain: Ben Mike