Patel praises Foxes’ fighting qualities to secure draw

CENTURY maker Rishi Patel says Leicestershire “showed a lot of strength and fight” to secure a draw in their County Championship match against Sussex, writes Jon Culley.

Opener Patel made 100 - his third century of the season South African all-rounder Wiaan Mulder an unbeaten 102 and Tom Scriven 51 not out as Foxes declared on 295-6 in their second innings at the Uptonsteel County Ground.

Dismissed for 270 in reply to their opponents’ 430 late on Saturday evening, they were in early trouble at 65 for four as Sussex chased a second win of the season.

But Patel, right, and Mulder steered the Foxes to a draw to preserve their unbeaten record in Division Two this season.

“We were in a tight spot for a lot of the game,” said Patel. “They put on a big score in their first innings and ours did not go according to plan, but we showed a lot of strength and fight to bat the way we did in the second innings to get a draw out of the game.

“It is a credit to all the boys and the work they have put in that we feel like we have that depth in the batting.

“We bat all the way down. Tom (Scriven) got fifty and Wrighty (Chris Wright) has been in incredible form, so there is a lot of confidence going through the team with the bat.

“We had a team talk on Sunday morning where we spoke about having fought our way out of difficult situations a couple of times already this season and that there was no reason why we couldn’t do it again, and that gave us the confidence to go out and be free to bat. Wiaan (Mulder) found his form with the ball and the bat but it was only a matter of time before he did. He is a great player.

“He showed last year how good he is and hopefully this is just the start and he can now kick on and get as many runs and wickets as he can for us.

“It has been a nice season for me so far, but it is just about scoring runs for the team at the moment.

“Personal achievements take a back seat.

“I try to play the game according to the situation in the match.

“I got lucky a couple of times (on Sunday) but sometimes you just have to ride your luck and carry on batting.

“I think the difference for me is that I have a process that I feel I can rely on and trust, so every time I go out I know what I need to do.

“That’s a big credit to Nicko (head coach Paul Nixon) and to our batting coach James Taylor and the work they did with me over the winter.”

Meanwhile, John Thorpe has been elected as the new chair of Leicestershire CCC following his return to the board earlier this year.

He will take over from Jonathan Duckworth, who joined the LCCC board in 2020 before going on to hold the roles of vice-chairman and chairman.

Mr Thorpe, a lifelong supporter of LCCC, said: “I am immensely proud to be appointed as chair of this wonderful club.

“It certainly seems a long while since I was a junior member back in 1972.”