Leicestershire snatch win after Cox, de Swardt dig deep

Leicestershire pulled off a tight chase, getting home by 2 wickets thanks to gritty knocks from Cox and de Swardt.

Nervy finish

It went right down to the wire, with Leicestershire losing wickets but staying in the hunt. Cox and de Swardt dig inBoth batters showed real fight. They absorbed pressure, rebuilt the innings, and saw Leicestershire through the tense moments. Two-wicket victory. Their partnership/partnerships proved decisive, guiding Leicestershire over the line in a close game. A win built on patience and nerve — Cox and de Swardt dug deep when it mattered to seal a hard-fought two-wicket win for Leicestershire.

Wicketkeeper Ben Cox made 51 from 59 balls and South African international Ruan de Swardt 42 from 53 after Rishi Patel hit seven fours and a six in his 42-ball 39, Hamza Shaikh making 33 in his Foxes debut innings after moving from Warwickshire.

Earlier, Cameron Bancroft's 52-ball 40 had been Gloucestershire's best score as Leicestershire produced a solid all-round bowling display to restrict them to 235, even after Daaryoush Ahmed (29) and Will Williams added 43 for the last wicket.

Tall seamer Alex Green, who bagged three five-wicket hauls in this competition in 2025, took three for 53, although the stand-out performer with the ball was New Zealand left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel, who finished with two for 32 from 10 overs and later hit the winning boundary.

Gloucestershire chose to bat but lost James Bracey on the 6th ball. They still pushed to 54/2 after 10 overs after Ben Green had Ollie Price lbw for 36 off 24.Bancroft’s brief fightback. Cameron Bancroft was dropped on 3 in the slips, then cashed in with 2 sixes off Ben Green. But he didn’t last — Ajaz Patel got him lbw 7 balls later.

Leicestershire breakthroughs De Swardt struck with his medium pace — Miles Hammond caught behind by a diving Cox for his first wicket in Leicestershire colors. Patel was tight and also bowled debutant Joe Eckland on his Gloucestershire debut. Ian Holland had Kamran Dhariwal caught behind on List A debut for 2-36.Collapse at the end Alex Green, who took 5 vs Gloucestershire at Bristol last year, did damage again with 3 more wickets as Gloucestershire failed to rebuild momentum.

Needing 4.72 per over, the Foxes were 51 for two after 10, skipper Stephen Eskinazi falling caught at slip off the glove, Holland being run out.

Gloucestershire removed two key batters in Rishi Patel, who miscued Ahmed to wide long-on, and Jonny Tattersall, superbly snared at backward point, but Leicestershire were well up with the rate.

Cox and De Swardt added 55 only for the latter, stepping out of his crease as the umpire pondered an appeal for caught behind, to be run out by the quick-thinking Bracey. When Ben Green was caught and bowled by Van Buuren, the outcome was back in the balance.