Rehan ends Lancashire winning start as Leicestershire win on the back of his match figures of 3 for 16 at Old Trafford.
Rehan ends Lancashire winning run as Leicestershire beat them by 5 wickets at Old Trafford.
Rehan Ahmed’s incredible three for sixteen from four overs and later a vital 27 sent Lancashire Lightning in a tailspin as Leicestershire Foxes broke through the stronghold of Emirates Old Trafford to win the Vitality Blast.
On a used surface, legspinning all-rounder Ahmed held the Lightning to 145 for seven and achieved season-best numbers across all forms. He is scheduled to join England for their T20I series against the West Indies later this week.
Before Chris Green added a vital 36 not out off 29 late on, he deceived a home batting lineup that saw starter Keaton Jennings top score with 39 off 19 balls.
After putting Leicestershire’s pursuit in limbo at 47 for three in the sixth over, the 20-year-old blasted two fours and a six in 23 balls to help the team win by five wickets with nine balls left.
Lancashire’s three-game winning streak ended with their first loss, while the Foxes have now won two and lost one at the beginning of the North Group.
Lancashire has only lost 31 of their 124 T20 games at Emirates Old Trafford, winning 89 of them. However, Leicestershire has won six times since 2003, making them the most successful visiting county here.
The Red Rose, who later used four spinners, had a taste of their own medicine when six of the seven home wickets fell to spin.
As the score dropped to 114 for seven after 17 overs, Ahmed bowled Tom Hartley, Australian abroad Ashton Turner, and Michael Jones.
With his part-time teammates, skipper Louis Kimber scored one goal and left-armer Liam Trevaskis also made an impression with two for 17.
When Luke Wells pulled to deep midwicket at 15 for 1 in the second over, Kimber got the first breakthrough.
Then in the fifth over, captain Jennings took Lancashire to 45 for 1. Before cutting Matt Salisbury’s seam to short third, he drilled Kimber for an arrow straight six to add to six boundaries.
Wickets declined steadily after that. At their worst, Lancashire’s score in the 14th over was 95 for six.
Aussie all-rounder Green then accumulated his 36 with only one six and a ludicrous all-run four off the penultimate ball of the innings which came as the ball pin-balled around Leicestershire’s fielders.
Then, as the score dropped to 47 for three in the sixth over, Green was instrumental in the beginning of the Foxes’ chase, hitting twice with his off-spin.
But again, Ahmed was in the spotlight.
Arriving at number five, he watched skipper Kimber succumb to Hartley’s left-arm spin for a rapid 40 off 22 balls, which was 63 for four in the eighth over, before he lofted Charlie Barnard’s spin over cover for six.
The damage had been done in a 59-run partnership with industrious wicketkeeper-batter Ben Cox, who was also outstanding for a run-a-ball 38 not out, even though Barnard later exacted retribution by bowling him.