T20 Blast mein har ek match mein pressure hai, aur Durham ke khilaaf June 6, 2025 ko Grace Road par khela gaya match bhi koi alag nahi tha. Team pe pehle se hi expectations ka bojh tha, aur ek haar unki campaign ko aur mushkil bana sakti thi. Lekin is match mein Leicestershire ke kaptaan Louis Kimber ne apni leadership aur all-round performance se sabko hairaan kar diya, aur ek thrilling jeet dilayi.
Match shuru hua toh Leicestershire ka top order thoda ladkhada gaya. Rishi Patel aur Soloman Budinger ne shuruaat toh di, lekin jaldi hi wickets girne shuru ho gaye. 59/1 se score 76/3 tak pahunch gaya jab Kimber batting ke liye aaye. Unhone apne aggressive andaaz se Durham ke bowlers ko peechhe dhakel diya. X posts ke mutabiq, Kimber ne 32 runs banaye, jismein paanch boundaries shamil the, aur ek massive straight six bhi lagaya jo crowd mein chha gaya. Unka yeh explosive batting style yaad dilata hai unke 2024 ke County Championship performance ka, jab unhone Sussex ke khilaaf 127 balls mein 243 runs banaye, jismein 21 sixes aur 20 fours shamil the. Us match mein unhone Ollie Robinson ke ek over mein 43 runs loot liye, jo County Championship ka record bana.
Lekin is baar Kimber ka contribution sirf batting tak nahi raha. Bowling mein bhi unhone apna jadoo dikhaya. X posts ke mutabiq, unhone powerplay ke aakhri ball par ek bada wicket liya, jo match ka turning point bana. Unki off-spin bowling ne Durham ke batsmen ko pareshan kiya, aur unki tight line aur length ne run flow ko rok diya. Yeh performance unki versatility ko dikhata hai, kuch aisa hi jaise Ben Stokes ne 2022 mein Durham ke liye Worcestershire ke khilaaf 17 sixes ke saath 161 runs banaye the. Kimber ka yeh all-round show Leicestershire ke liye game-changer raha.
Durham ki team bhi kam nahi thi. Alex Lees aur David Bedingham jaise players ke saath unki batting line-up strong thi. Lekin Leicestershire ke bowlers, khas kar Rehan Ahmed aur Scott Currie, ne unhe control mein rakha. Kimber ke leadership skills yahan saaf dikhe – unhone apne bowlers ko smartly rotate kiya aur field placements se Durham ke batsmen ko pressure mein rakha. Yeh wahi strategy thi jo Leicestershire ne 2023 mein Durham ke khilaaf T20 Blast mein use ki thi, jab Kimber ne 57 not out banaye aur team ko 7-wicket se jeet dilayi.
Match ke aakhri overs mein drama poora tha. Durham ko chase mein runs chahiye the, lekin Leicestershire ke bowlers ne tight bowling ki aur fielders ne shandaar catches liye. Kimber ka ek catch, jise X par “Bucket Hands” ke naam se describe kiya gaya, ne crowd ko josh se bhar diya. Aakhir mein, Leicestershire ne yeh match 5 wickets se jeet liya, aur is jeet ne unki T20 Blast campaign ko aur mazboot kar diya. Yeh jeet unki season ki teesri jeet thi, jisse woh points table mein upar badh gaye.
Kimber ki yeh performance yaad dilati hai ke cricket mein ek player ka all-round contribution kitna farak la sakta hai. Jaise ke 2016 mein Aneurin Donald ne Glamorgan ke liye 123 balls mein double century banayi thi, waise hi Kimber ka yeh show bhi Leicestershire ke fans ke liye ek yaadgaar pal tha. Unka yeh aggressive aur confident approach team ke liye nayi ummeed jaga raha hai.
Lekin, yeh jeet ke bawajood, Leicestershire ke liye challenges abhi khatam nahi hue hain. T20 Blast ka schedule tight hai, aur agle matches mein teams jaise Lancashire aur Birmingham Bears ke khilaaf unhe aur consistent performance dikhani hogi. Kimber ke shoulders par captaincy ka bojh hai, aur har match mein aisa hi performance dena asaan nahi hoga. Agle match mein, jo June 15, 2025 ko Durham ke khilaaf hi Chester-le-Street mein hai, Leicestershire ko apni strategy ko aur sharp karna hoga. Agar woh yeh momentum carry nahi kar paaye, toh yeh jeet sirf ek flash in the pan ban kar reh jayegi.
