Sunday, June 1, 2025 ko Northampton ke County Ground pe, Northants Steelbacks ne Leicestershire Foxes ko Vitality Blast mein ek mast five-wicket se hara diya. Purane khiladi Ben Sanderson aur David Willey ne pace bowling mein aag laga di, Foxes ki batting ko shuru mein hi dhwast kar diya, aur phir doosra purana khiladi Ravi Bopara ne chase ko sambhal ke Steelbacks ko jeet dilayi. Ye Northants ki North Group mein doosri jeet thi, jismein unhone apna dabdaba dikhaya.
Leicestershire Foxes ki Batting: Sanderson aur Willey ka Tabaahi
Foxes ne toss haar ke pehle batting ki, lekin unka start bilkul bekaar raha. Ben Sanderson aur David Willey ne Wantage Road ki zinda pitch ka faida uthaya aur Foxes ko aath overs mein 39 for 7 pe la diya. Sanderson, jo apna 100th T20 wicket Northants ke liye le raha tha, ne 4 overs mein 4 for 15 ke saath tabahi machayi. Usne Shan Masood ko Ricardo Vasconcelos ke diving catch se out kiya aur Lewis Hill ko George Bartlett ke haath point pe pakadwaya. Willey, Steelbacks ka captain, ne bhi 3 for 20 ke saath Sol Budinger ko full toss se bowled kar ke dikhaya. X pe logon ne is spell ko “kamaal ka” bola jab Foxes 2 for 1 se 39 for 7 tak gir gaye.
Halaanki, Foxes ke lower order ne thodi fight dikhayi. Logan van Beek ne 42 run maar ke innings ko sambhala, aur Roman Walker ke aakhiri shots ne unhe 19.3 overs mein 122 all out tak pahunchaya. Par Sanderson aur Willey ne itna nuksaan kiya ki Foxes ke liye bada score banana mushkil tha.
Northants Steelbacks ka Chase: Bopara ka Thanda Dimaag
123 ka target chase karte hue, Steelbacks ko bhi thodi dikkat hui pitch ke wajah se. Ricardo Vasconcelos ne shuru mein Logan van Beek ke pehle over mein chhakk aur chauka lagaya, lekin jaldi hi Matt Salisbury ke haath slip pe out ho gaya. Willey, jo number teen pe aaya, 16 ball mein sirf 6 run bana paya aur caught behind ho gaya. Powerplay ke baad 32 for 2 pe, Foxes ko lag raha tha shayad mauka hai, kyunki unke bowlers ko bhi movement mil raha tha.
Phir aaya Ravi Bopara, jiska thanda dimaag ne chase ko sambhala. Matthew Breetzke ke saath milke usne dhire-dhire singles aur doubles leke innings ko aage badhaya. Foxes ke bowlers, van Beek aur Salisbury, ne pressure banaye rakha, lekin Bopara ne koi jaldi nahi ki. Uska unbeaten knock, jo “thanda-dimaag wala” tha, ne Northants ko aakhiri chaar ball bachi hone pe 123 for 5 tak pahunchaya.
Key Players
- Ben Sanderson (Northants): 4 for 15 in 4 overs, apna 100th T20 wicket liya aur Foxes ke top order ko uda diya.
- David Willey (Northants): 3 for 20 in 3 overs, shuruati wickets aur tight fielding se Foxes ko khatam kiya.
- Ravi Bopara (Northants): Chase mein thande dimaag se khel ke jeet dilayi.
- Logan van Beek (Leicestershire): 42 run banaye, Foxes ke liye thodi si ummeed jagayi.
Steelbacks Women ne bhi Kiya Kamaal
Din ke shuru mein, Steelbacks Women ne bhi double-header mein apna jalwa dikhaya. Vitality Blast League Two ke opener mein, unhone Leicestershire ko aath run se hara diya. Gemma Marriott (28) aur Bella Howarth (22) ne Steelbacks ko 123 for 8 tak pahunchaya. Leicestershire 63 for 0 se 98 for 5 tak gir gayi jab Lenny Sims ne wicket liya. Ella Phillips aur Amelia Kemp ki tight bowling aur do runouts ne Leicestershire ko 115 for 5 pe rok diya. Crowd ka josh women ki jeet se aur badh gaya, aur unhone men’s team ki jeet bhi dekhi.
Context aur Future
Ye match Vitality Blast ke opening weekend ka hissa tha, jismein Northants ne apni form dikhayi. Kal Yorkshire ke khilaaf jeet ke baad, Steelbacks ke purane khiladiyo—Sanderson, Willey, aur Bopara—ne dikha diya ki unmein abhi bhi dum hai. Leicestershire ke liye, ye haar unki batting ki kamzori dikhati hai, khaas kar jab pace bowling achhi ho. Foxes ko North Group mein wapas aana hoga. Northants, doosri taraf, apna momentum banaye hue hai, aur unke experienced players unhe bada contender banate hain.
Crowd ka josh, women’s team ki jeet, aur X pe fans ke posts ne match ka mahaul aur bhi shandaar banaya. Fans ne Sanderson aur Willey ke spell ki taareef ki aur team ke performance ko saraha. 2025 Vitality Blast mein Northants ek dumdaar shuruaat ke saath North Group ke liye bada khatra hai.
Squads
Northamptonshire Steelbacks: Ricardo Vasconcelos, Matthew Breetzke, David Willey (c), Ravi Bopara, Saif Zaib, George Bartlett, Lewis McManus (wk), Luke Procter, George Scrimshaw, Ben Sanderson, Lloyd Pope.
Leicestershire Foxes: Sol Budinger, Rishi Patel, Louis Kimber (c), Shan Masood, Lewis Hill, Ben Cox (wk), Liam Trevaskis, Logan van Beek, Tom Scriven, Matt Salisbury, Roman Walker.
Northamptonshire Steelbacks ki Leicestershire Foxes ke khilaaf jeet unki bowling ki taakat aur batting ke josh ka saboot thi. Ben Sanderson aur David Willey ne shuru mein tabahi machayi, aur Ravi Bopara ne chase ko sambhala. Men’s aur women’s team dono ke shandaar performance ke saath, Northants ne 2025 Vitality Blast mein apna jhanda gaad diya, aur North Group ka title jeetne ka dum dikhaya.
