Awesome Afridi powers Leicestershire to C & G final

Pakistan star Shahid Afridi produced another sensational innings to take Leicestershire to the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy final at Lord's on September 1st.

Afridi blazed a brilliant 95 off 58 balls as Leicestershire crushed Lancashire by seven wickets with 20.1 overs to spare in the rain-affected semi-final at Grace Road.

Set a victory target of 191 Leicestershire looked in trouble at nine for two in the fifth over. But Afridi and home captain Vince Wells turned the game on its head with a stand of 152 in 114 balls - a partnership dominated by Afridi.

The 21-year-old all-rounder hammered eight fours and six sixes before being caught on the boundary edge by Andrew Flintoff as he went for another massive hit in a bid to reach his century.

The innings, not surprisingly, earned Afridi the man of the match award for the second game in a row in the competition, and extended Leicestershire's winning run in one-day cricket to 13 matches.

Although overshadowed by the electrifying efforts of Afridi, Wells also played a splendid innings scoring the winning runs with a cover driven four off Chris Schofield.

The Leicestershire captain finished on 64 not out off 80 balls with 10 fours. At the height of his innings Afridi hit Peter Martin for 16 off three balls and then Schofield for 14 off three balls.

It was a devastating defeat for Lancashire who recovered well to post what looked a competitive total of 190 for nine with Warren Hegg making 60 and Schofield 42. When Martin then dismissed Trevor Ward and Darren Stevens in the first five overs Lancashire seemed to be back in the game -until Afridi took over. Leicestershire will now play Somerset in the final.

"I went out to bat looking to survive the first 15 overs and then hit out later in the innings," Afridi explained afterwards.

"Then we lost the wickets and I thought I should go on the attack and play my natural game."

"A lot of it depends on luck and if it is your day then it will come off for you, but I wasn't too disappointed to get out before the end because my back was hurting."

Afridi is fast becoming something of a favourite at Grace Road, and explained that he hoped this was just the start of a long relationship with the club.

"I'd just finished the Test series with Pakistan and was all set to go to America for a holiday when Jack Birkenshaw made contact with me through Saqlain Mushtaq and asked if I wanted to play for half a season," Afridi said.

"I'd always wanted to play county cricket and Leicestershire tried to sign me in 1998 but I was busy with Pakistan and I'd love the chance to come back again next summer."

Meanwhile a disappointed Lancashire coach, Bobby Simpson, now resigned to finishing his career at Lancashire without a trophy, was generous in praise of Afridi's swashbuckling knock.

"Afridi's innings was one of those things that happened," said Simpson.

"He swung a lot, played and missed and hit a lot - he was superb, but everything came off for him and let's see how he does in the final.

"It's been a bad week for us, but we now have the possibility of relegation in the championship and the prospect of that is enough to lift anybody for the last few matches."