Leicestershire 149 for 8 beat Northamptonshire 137 for 9 by 12runs
Scorecard

Leicestershire fast bowler Nadeem Malik took four wickets as the Foxes claimed a 12-run win over the Northamptonshire Steelbacks in the Friends Provident t20 at Wantage Road. Australia international Andrew McDonald top-scored with 49 off 35 balls for the Foxes, who posted 149 for 8 from their 18 overs with former Sri Lanka seamer Chaminda Vaas the pick of the Steelbacks attack, taking 2 for 24.

Malik then took 4 for 25 as Northants only made 137 for 9 in reply, with Mal Loye making 39 as they collapsed from 106 for 3 in their last five overs. Leicestershire won the toss and chose to bat first, but the heavens opened 25 minutes before the scheduled start forcing a 50-minute delay and the loss of two overs per side.

When the players did emerge, the Foxes got off to a disastrous start when Jacques Du Toit was run out with the very first ball by the bowler Vaas. Former Australia all-rounder Brad Hodge (16) was then stumped by Northants wicketkeeper Niall O'Brien off the bowling of Nicky Boje.

Ex-England keeper Paul Nixon made 16 before being bowled by the Steelbacks captain Andrew Hall. Vaas then claimed two wickets in the 13th over when Will Jefferson (6) smashed him to Loye at point before he caught and bowled James Taylor, who made just a single.

McDonald, who smashed two sixes, went by launching Boje to Vishal Tripathi at deep cover before James Benning (9) was caught by Boje at midwicket off Hall. Claude Henderson then hammered 32 off 14 balls, including three massive sixes before being caught at long-on by Alex Wakely off Lee Daggett, who conceded 19 off the final over.

Chasing 150, Northants lost O'Brien (9) in the second over when he was superbly caught at point by Taylor off Harry Gurney. Rob White made 13 before launching Leicestershire skipper Matthew Hoggard to Jefferson at midwicket and Henderson took out Boje's middle stump to leave the hosts on 73 for 3.

Northants needed to score at 10 an over with five overs left but Hall made 27 off 18 balls before his leg stump was sent spinning by Malik and this started the collapse. He repeated the trick with Loye before Wakely (11) launched him to McDonald at long-off.

Vaas made a single before smashing Malik to Jefferson at long-on and James Middlebrook (1) launched Hoggard to Taylor at extra cover. Vishal Tripathi (5) was then run out by Taylor at deep midwicket in the final over as Northants came up short.