Wood and Borthwick impress in Durham victory

Durham 147 for 5 (Mustard 75*, McKay 3-21) beat Leicestershire 146 for 6 (Borthwick 4-18) by five wickets
Scorecard

Phil Mustard atoned for Ben Stokes' disappointment by thrashing an unbeaten 75 off 50 balls to propel Durham to a five-wicket win against Leicestershire in the NatWest T20 Blast.

When Stokes fell for 11, lobbing a miscued drive to cover, Durham were 21 for 2 in pursuit of 146 for 6. But Gordon Muchall contributed 32 to a stand of 86 as victory was sealed with nine balls to spare at Chester-le-Street.

Mustard smacked three sixes between long-on and midwicket in his 35-ball half-century and added a fourth to the same area.

Scott Borthwick's career-best T20 figures of 4 for 18 ensured that the Foxes, who were put in, gained no momentum until they took 19 off each of the last two overs.

Lewis Hill's mixture of improvisation and orthodox clips behind square leg saw him hit the previously miserly Chris Rushworth for four successive fours in making an unbeaten 31 off 15 balls.

Hill and Rob Taylor both pulled Paul Coughlin for six in the final over, but the early batsmen had been stifled by the seamers, including Mark Wood who pushed 90mph.

The England paceman was making his first senior appearance of the season following two ankle operations and had Mark Pettini caught behind after the visiting captain laboured 17 balls for seven.

That included four off a free hit when Rushworth spoilt what would have been an opening maiden by over-stepping on the sixth ball.

South Africans Cameron Delport and Farhaan Benhardien had to try to capitalise on the introduction of Borthwick at 62 for 2 after ten overs. Left-hander Delport tried to smash the legspinner over midwicket, only to fall lbw for 19. Ben Raine holed out to Stokes at deep midwicket, Behardien went down the track and was bowled and in Borthwick's final over Tom Wells lofted a catch to long-on.

Mark Stoneman cut the first ball of the reply for four but then sliced a catch to third man off Clint McKay, who also claimed Stokes' scalp on the way to figures of 3 for 21.

Durham wobbled slightly after Muchall was bowled by Neil Dexter, but Coughlin lifted the second ball he faced for a big six over long-on off Taylor in helping to complete the task.

Durham moved level in fourth place in the north group with Worcestershire, who have played two games more, while Leicestershire remain bottom.