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Report Lees leads the way as Durham get back on track Leicestershire fall short of testing total as visitors find form with bat to secure first win ECB Reporters Network 07-Jun-2024 • 42 mins ago Alex Lees anchored the Durham chase • Getty Images Durham 178 for 3 (Lees 71*) beat Leicestershire 176 for 7 (Cox 50*, Sowter 3-23) by seven wickets Skipper Alex Lees led from the front with an unbeaten 71 from 53 balls as Durham bounced back from two heavy defeats to register their first win of the Vitality Blast campaign, beating Leicestershire Foxes by seven wickets in a tight finish at the Uptonsteel County Ground. Wicketkeeper Ben Cox hit 50 off 31 balls as Foxes recovered from 106 for 6 to post 176 for 7 from their 20 overs. Legspinner Nathan Sowter took 3 for 23 and left-arm spinner Callum Parkinson 2 for 23 against his former county after Rishi Patel had launched the Foxes innings with 35 off 17 balls and Sol Budinger made 26 from 21.

But thanks to Lees, who hit three sixes but only two fours, with support from David Bedingham (43 from 32) and Ashton Turner (22 from 16), Durham passed their target with three balls to spare, Leicestershire not helping their cause by conceding 20 runs in extras, giving away nine extra balls in the process. Patel, who hit a scintillating century in this fixture last year, looked as if he might deliver something similar after Durham opted to field first but after six fours and a six he hit straight into the hands of deep midwicket as Parkinso.

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