Budinger ne 17 ball mein 51 run thok diye, jismein 6 four aur 4 six shamil the, aur Foxes ne Derbyshire ke 170 for 6 ke target ko 8 ball baaki rehne tak poora kar liya. Derbyshire ke Martin Andersson ne apna career-best 70 not out banaya, par visitors haar se nahi bach sake.
Derbyshire ne toss haarne ke baad pehle batting chuni, par shuru mein hi 11 for 3 pe dhas gaye, kyunki Logan van Beek ne Caleb Jewell aur Wayne Madsen ko shandaar balls pe out kiya. Phir Andersson aur Ross Whiteley ne 52 ball mein 76 run ki partnership karke comeback karaya. Andersson ke 46 ball mein unbeaten 70 aur Whiteley ke 27 ball mein 37 ke dum pe Falcons ne 170 for 6 banaye. Leicestershire ke bowling attack mein Josh Hull aur Rehan Ahmed nahi the, phir bhi unhone Derbyshire ko rok ke rakha.
Foxes ka jawab bilkul bijli ki tarah tha. Budinger ne shuru se hi attack kiya, debutant Afghanistan spinner Allah Ghazanfar ke pehle over mein 16 run maar diye. Pat Brown ke ek over mein toh 29 run thok diye, jismein chauke aur chhakke lage. Budinger ka 51, 15 ball mein aaya, jo Vitality Blast ka fastest fifty record barabar karta hai. Unke out hone tak (David Lloyd ne zabardast catch pakda off Andersson), Leicestershire ne 29 ball mein 73 run bana liye. Phir thodi si giravat aayi, jab 20 ball mein 3 wicket 12 run pe gir gaye, kyunki Ghazanfar aur Samit Patel ne Louis Kimber, Rishi Patel aur Lewis Hill ko out kiya.
Iske bawajood, Shan Masood aur Ben Cox ne khel sambhala. Masood ne apne Blast debut pe shant 45 not out (35 ball) banaye, aur ek baar Pat Brown ki ball pe itna lamba six maara ki crowd mein Christian aur Bettina, jo pehli baar cricket match dekhne aaye the, bal-bal bache. Masood aur Cox ke 44-run stand (32 ball) ne Leicestershire ko 171 for 5 tak pahunchaya, aur woh bhi waqt se pehle.
Derbyshire ke bowlers ne bhi fight dikhayi, khas kar Ghazanfar ne apne debut pe do wicket leke ball ghumaya, par Leicestershire ke aggressive batting ko nahi rok sake. Andersson ne all-round khel dikhaya, par Falcons haar gaye. Leicestershire ke liye Budinger ka yeh dhamaka unki white-ball power dikhata hai, jo 2024 One-Day Cup mein bhi 458 run ke saath chamka tha.
Yeh jeet Leicestershire ki gehraai aur adaptability dikhati hai, bhale hi unka bowling attack kamzor tha, aur 2025 Vitality Blast ke liye ek badiya shuruaat hai. Derbyshire ke liye Andersson ka form ummeed deta hai, par unhe jaldi recover karna hoga agle matches ke liye.
