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Article by Christopher Finch -
Five wickets from Jigar Naik helped Leicestershire seal a comfortable 89 run victory over Glamorgan on the final day of their LV=County Championship Division Two clash at Grace Road.
Naik, who spent part of the winter playing domestic cricket for Colombo in Sri Lanka had an excellent spell of 4-16 from 43 balls to go with an earlier great catch on the boundary, and 67 runs in Leicestershire?s second innings that helped the Foxes set a large target for the Dragons.
Naik became the first Leicester-born Asian to play for the county in 2006, and is a product of the club?s famed academy setup which has produced the likes of Stuart Broad and Luke Wright in recent times. For a side that was once so heavily reliant on Kolpak players (including six in the team at one point), it was refreshing to see them abandon the short-term gain to be had from playing these veteran foreigners in the hope of long-term success with the youngsters.
Current first team coach Phil Whitticase has presided over most of this, having been Academy Director since 2003. 11 of the 19 current first team contracted players have graduated through the youth setup, including top prospects James Taylor and Nathan Buck. Taylor has scored 1000 first-class runs in each of the last two seasons, and scored 527 runs at an average of 58.55 for the England Lions in the West Indies over the winter. Buck, meanwhile was also called up for that tour after taking 49 first-class wickets last season, and was awarded his county cap by Leicestershire during the second day of this match.
How well the county will progress over the next couple of years depends on whether they can keep players like these two, as well as continuing to develop young players through the system.
Back to this match, and Mike Powell resumed his innings on 21 not out at the start of day four, alongside nightwatchman Huw Waters. They started at 112-3, chasing 338 to win. Powell would last less than three overs before being trapped on the crease lbw by Nadeem Malik for 25.
Waters held out resolutely, but his 65-minute long vigil at the crease ended when he was hit plum on the pads by Claude Henderson for nine.
Wicketkeeper Mark Wallace fell next. After smashing a four off Matthew Hoggard through the covers, he attempted a big hit over midwicket the following ball to the short boundary, but a leaping catch from Naik just inside the fence saw him walking back to the pavilion.
Ben Wright provided some sturdy resistance for the Dragons in the morning session, and he brought up his 50 with a sweep off Henderson in the final over before lunch. He was assisted by the 41-year-old Robert Croft, and the pair took the score to 199-6 at the break, with 139 still needed for victory. It looked an outside possibility, but if those two could take the runs required to fewer than 100, then they had a chance.
The clouds grew over Grace Road during the afternoon, looking more and more threatening as the overs went on. The Foxes bowlers started to look slack with the old ball, and Wright continued to tick the runs off, dispatching Buck through midwicket to take the score to 220.
The following over, the soft dismissal of Croft seemed to signal the end of Glamorgan?s chances. After scoring 22, he tried to turn a delivery from Naik around the corner, but it only went as far as Matthew Boyce, who held on for an easy catch.
The coffin was all but nailed shut after the wicket of Wright. Attempting a slog sweep to the short square boundary off Naik, he could only top edge it to Greg Smith. The former England Under-19 international?s innings lasted 102 balls, and included eight fours.
Graham Wagg was the ninth wicket to fall, after he backed away to a full, quicker ball from Naik and was bowled. The local lad then completed his second five-wicket haul in first-class cricket with the final wicket of Dean Cosker, who popped it up for James Taylor at short leg.
The win came in the middle of the afternoon session, just 15 minutes before the rain started falling.
More...
Five wickets from Jigar Naik helped Leicestershire seal a comfortable 89 run victory over Glamorgan on the final day of their LV=County Championship Division Two clash at Grace Road.
Naik, who spent part of the winter playing domestic cricket for Colombo in Sri Lanka had an excellent spell of 4-16 from 43 balls to go with an earlier great catch on the boundary, and 67 runs in Leicestershire?s second innings that helped the Foxes set a large target for the Dragons.
Naik became the first Leicester-born Asian to play for the county in 2006, and is a product of the club?s famed academy setup which has produced the likes of Stuart Broad and Luke Wright in recent times. For a side that was once so heavily reliant on Kolpak players (including six in the team at one point), it was refreshing to see them abandon the short-term gain to be had from playing these veteran foreigners in the hope of long-term success with the youngsters.
Current first team coach Phil Whitticase has presided over most of this, having been Academy Director since 2003. 11 of the 19 current first team contracted players have graduated through the youth setup, including top prospects James Taylor and Nathan Buck. Taylor has scored 1000 first-class runs in each of the last two seasons, and scored 527 runs at an average of 58.55 for the England Lions in the West Indies over the winter. Buck, meanwhile was also called up for that tour after taking 49 first-class wickets last season, and was awarded his county cap by Leicestershire during the second day of this match.
How well the county will progress over the next couple of years depends on whether they can keep players like these two, as well as continuing to develop young players through the system.
Back to this match, and Mike Powell resumed his innings on 21 not out at the start of day four, alongside nightwatchman Huw Waters. They started at 112-3, chasing 338 to win. Powell would last less than three overs before being trapped on the crease lbw by Nadeem Malik for 25.
Waters held out resolutely, but his 65-minute long vigil at the crease ended when he was hit plum on the pads by Claude Henderson for nine.
Wicketkeeper Mark Wallace fell next. After smashing a four off Matthew Hoggard through the covers, he attempted a big hit over midwicket the following ball to the short boundary, but a leaping catch from Naik just inside the fence saw him walking back to the pavilion.
Ben Wright provided some sturdy resistance for the Dragons in the morning session, and he brought up his 50 with a sweep off Henderson in the final over before lunch. He was assisted by the 41-year-old Robert Croft, and the pair took the score to 199-6 at the break, with 139 still needed for victory. It looked an outside possibility, but if those two could take the runs required to fewer than 100, then they had a chance.
The clouds grew over Grace Road during the afternoon, looking more and more threatening as the overs went on. The Foxes bowlers started to look slack with the old ball, and Wright continued to tick the runs off, dispatching Buck through midwicket to take the score to 220.
The following over, the soft dismissal of Croft seemed to signal the end of Glamorgan?s chances. After scoring 22, he tried to turn a delivery from Naik around the corner, but it only went as far as Matthew Boyce, who held on for an easy catch.
The coffin was all but nailed shut after the wicket of Wright. Attempting a slog sweep to the short square boundary off Naik, he could only top edge it to Greg Smith. The former England Under-19 international?s innings lasted 102 balls, and included eight fours.
Graham Wagg was the ninth wicket to fall, after he backed away to a full, quicker ball from Naik and was bowled. The local lad then completed his second five-wicket haul in first-class cricket with the final wicket of Dean Cosker, who popped it up for James Taylor at short leg.
The win came in the middle of the afternoon session, just 15 minutes before the rain started falling.
More...
