Lewis Hill: Leicestershire skipper hails team spirit in Foxes' One-Day Cup qualification

Lewis Hill took over as Leicestershire captain ahead of the 2023 season

Leicestershire skipper Lewis Hill believes collective effort is behind his side's run to the One-Day Cup knockout stages.

The Foxes impressed in qualifying for the second year running, finishing with seven wins out of eight in Group B.

Five batters averaged more than 48 in the group stages, while match-winning hauls were shared around the bowlers.

"Every single player has put their hand up in different situations," Hill told BBC Radio Leicester.

"Even today (against Yorkshire) we had two people go down in the night with a sickness bug and for Will Davies to come in and bowl like he did was a real credit, and he didn't know he was playing at 8 o'clock this morning.

"To do that is a credit to him and the environment we've got going."

Prior to last season, Leicestershire had failed to reach the knockout stages of a List A competition in 13 years, and they last won a one-day trophy in 1985 when David Gower's side beat Essex to lift the Benson and Hedges Cup.

Thomas - 'We've given players ownership'

Alfonso Thomas took over as joint interim head coach with former England and Foxes batter James Taylor in June after Paul Nixon's departure.

The South African believes the success has dovetailed with a change in culture and an upturn in morale.

Alfonso Thomas (left) and James Taylor were made joint interim head coaches until the end of the 2023 season

"The guys are very clear on what the plans are and the team spirit in the changing room at the moment is as good as I've ever seen it," he told Radio Leicester's Talking Foxes podcast.

"What James and I have brought into this changing room is that we've gone to them and said 'listen this is your environment, you guys tell us what you want and we will facilitate that as much as we can'.

"We've given them ownership, and the way this group has grown over the last couple of weeks has just been fantastic to see."

They chased down 325 in an impressive opening win at the Oval and then hammered Kent by 264 runs before losing a close match to Notts.

The Foxes batters smashed 411-6 in a bounceback win over Lancashire and then inflicted a rare defeat on fellow qualifiers Hampshire before overcoming Essex, Middlesex and Yorkshire.

"You've got some really quality senior players in there and then you've got guys who are still learning the game, but obviously very talented," Thomas added.

"It's trying to keep it very simple, not over-complicating it everybody know their roles and they take ownership of their role and collectively that is going to stand us in good stead."

Wiaan Mulder has 319 runs and nine wickets in this year's competition

Balance brings success

South Africa all-rounder Wiaan Mulder has been a lynchpin, one of four batters alongside Colin Ackermann, Louis Kimber and Peter Handscomb to average more than 50 in the group stages, while adding nine wickets.

Rishi Patel also made 161 against Middlesex, Leicestershire's highest-ever individual score in List A cricket against a first-class county.

Mulder pinpoints balance as key to Leicestershire's stunning form, with match-winning performances sprinkled throughout the squad, particularly an attack which blends youth and experience.

Josh Hull, 19, is the Foxes' leading wicket-taker in the competition in his debut season with 14, while former England Under-19 all-rounder Tom Scriven has 11 at 24.36.

"Our bowlers have bowled superbly well," he said.

"I think overall it's what we needed as a team to balance our batting and our bowling.

"Last year we had that balance on tricky wickets, but on good wickets we didn't have that balance so I think overall we've got a lot better team."