Result: Durham Jets (147/5; Mustard 75*) beat Leicestershire Foxes (146/6; Borthwick 4/18) by five wickets
Watch highlights here
Phil Mustard thrashed an unbeaten 75 off 50 balls to propel Durham Jets to a five-wicket win against Leicestershire Foxes in the NatWest T20 Blast.
Mustard backed up Scott Borthwick’s career-best figures of 4/18 as the Jets restricted the Foxes to 146/6.
Two early wickets fell but Gordon Muchall contributed 32 to a stand of 86 alongside Mustard as victory was sealed with nine balls to spare in front of the Sky Sports cameras at Emirates Riverside.
Mustard smacked three sixes between long-on and mid-wicket in his 35-ball half-century and added a fourth to the same area. He also hit four fours.
Scott Borthwick’s career-best T20 figures ensured the Foxes gained no momentum until they took 19 off each of the last two overs.
Lewis Hill’s mixture of improvisation and orthodox clips behind square leg saw him four successive fours, while Rob Taylor hit a maximum in the final over, but the early batsmen had been stifled by the seamers, including Mark Wood.
The England paceman was making his first senior appearance of the season following two ankle operations and had Mark Pettini caught behind after the visiting captain laboured 17 balls for seven.
South Africans Cameron Delport and Farhaan Benhardien had to try to capitalise on the introduction of Borthwick at 62 for two after ten overs, but left-hander Delport tried to smash the leg-spinner over mid-wicket, only to fall lbw for 19.
Ben Raine holed out to Stokes at deep mid-wicket, Behardien went down the track and was bowled and in Borthwick’s final over Tom Wells lofted a catch to long-on.
Mark Stoneman cut the first ball of the reply for four but then sliced a catch to third man off Clint McKay, who also claimed Ben Stokes’ scalp.
Mustard and Muchall combined to haul the Jets back into control, using their cricketing nous to run quick twos before the former’s onslaught of boundaries off Benhardien.
Durham wobbled slightly after Muchall was bowled by Neil Dexter, but Paul Coughlin lifted the second ball he faced for a big six over long-on off Taylor in helping to complete the task.
The Jets moved level in fourth place in the North Group with Worcestershire Rapids, who have played two games more, ahead of their next game against the Northants Steelbacks.
Did you attend today? Your feedback is vital to us. Please complete this short survey.