Leicestershire vs Durham, VITALITY T20 BLAST 2023, Today Match Prediction

leic vs dur Match Prediction & Analysis

Leicestershire are currently at the bottom of the North Group in the 2023 Vitality Blast. After seven matches, they have managed just one victory while suffering six losses and having a poor net run rate of -1.198. Their only win of the season have come against Durham, who are their next opponents, incidentally. Despite that loss, though, Durham are doing really well and are third on the table with 8 points and a net run rate of 0.787.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Leicestershire Preview

Leicestershire need to urgently get their campaign back on track. After that morale-boosting win against Durham, they slipped in their next game against Yorkshire. Chasing a moderate target of 157 at Grace Road, Leicester, the home side produced another below-par batting performance and could only manage 126. 

Batting has been Leicestershire’s bane this season. Rishi Patel has been their most consistent batter, scoring 178 runs in 7 innings at a strike rate of 125.35. Wiaan Mulder scored a fine 46 in the previous game, but the team will need a lot more consistency from him. 

Opener Nick Welch (231 runs in the last 10 matches at a strike rate of 153) might not have set the stage on fire this season, but we are expecting a handy contribution from him in this game.

Slow left-arm spinner Callum Parkinson has been Leicestershire’s most successful bowler this season, taking 8 wickets in 7 innings at an economy of 7.37. Another bowler to keep an eye out for is left-arm seamer Josh Hull, who has taken 5 wickets in just 3 matches.

Leicestershire Predicted Playing XI:

Nick Welch, Lewis Hill (c & wk), Rishi Patel, Wiaan Mulder, Louis Kimber, Rehan Ahmed, Arron Lilley, Callum Parkinson, Naveen-ul-Haq, Michael Finan, Josh Hull

Leicestershire Actual Playing XI:

Callum Parkinson, Lewis Hill, Colin Ackermann, Wiaan Mulder, Nick Welch, Louis Kimber, Tom Scriven, Josh Hull, Rishi Patel, Matt Salisbury, Rehan Ahmed

Durham Preview

Durham have got their campaign back on track after that loss against Leicestershire a few days ago. In their previous game, they defeated Northamptonshire by six wickets while chasing a target of 162 in Chester-le-Street. Opener Graham Clark laid the foundation of the chase with a well-made 55 off 30 balls. Clark now has 222 runs this season in 6 innings at a strike rate of 185. He’s now the second-highest run-getter of the team this season, behind Ollie Robinson, who has 234 runs in 5 innings at a strike rate of almost 151.

Captain Alex Lees (207 runs in 6 innings at a strike rate of 135.29) has led from the front and is definitely another batter to watch out for in this match.

Nathan Sowter has been the star of Durham’s bowling this year in the Blast. The leg-break bowler has gone an economy of 9.61 but has managed an impressive haul of 13 wickets in 6 innings. Ben Raine (8 wickets in 6 innings at an economy of 6.69) continues to impress, and we believe he will have a crucial role to play in this game. 

Durham Predicted Playing XI:

Graham Clark, Alex Lees (c), Michael Jones, Oliver Robinson (wk), Ashton Turner, Bas de Leede, Wayne Parnell, Liam Trevaskis, Ben Raine, Nathan Sowter, Luke Robinson

Durham Actual Playing XI:

Luke Robinson, Michael Jones, Wayne Parnell, Alex Lees, Bas de Leede, Ashton Turner, Ollie Robinson, Ben Raine, Graham Clark, Liam Trevaskis, Nathan Sowter

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The pitch at Grace Road is typically a sporting one. Run-making may not be all that easy and the seam bowlers could get some purchase. Once the pitch settles down a bit, however, batters can trust the bounce and begin hitting through the line.

The weather in Leicester during the match is expected to be breezy and cool. The breeze might help the seam bowlers in getting more movement off the air.

Venue Details

The average 1st innings score at Grace Road in the Vitality Blast is 148. The highest total posted at the venue is 255-2 by Yorkshire against Leicester. The highest total chased here is 204 by Leicestershire versus Kent in 2011. The team batting first should look to set a target of around 175 runs.

Toss: To Bat

Although Grace Road in Leicester usually favors the team chasing, but in this Vitality Blast three of the four matches have been won by the team batting first. So, it goes without saying that the team winning the toss might find it beneficial to bat first and put on a decent score on the board.