Leicestershire knocked out of Vitality Blast before a ball is bowled in decisive game v Yorkshire

Leicestershire were knocked out of the Vitality Blast on Sunday before a ball was bowled in their decisive final group game against Yorkshire.

English domestic cricket’s most successful Twenty20 club entered the day in the knowledge that victory would propel them above their fourth-placed opponents in the table and send them into this week’s quarter-finals.

However, they were docked two points by the Cricket Discipline Commission after Arron Lilley and Naveen ul-Haq were hit with on-field conduct charges in Friday night’s tense, one-run win over Northamptonshire and can no longer secure a top-four finish in the northern section as a result.

Leicestershire have been knocked out of the Vitality Blast after being docked two points

Arron Lilley and Naveen ul-Haq (pictured) were hit with on-field conduct charges on Friday

Leicestershire were effectively on a year-long good behaviour bond after receiving six fixed penalties for indiscipline between August 2020 and July 2021.

They were warned by the CDC at a hearing last September: ‘Subject to the over-riding discretion of the panel, should there be one or more fixed penalty issued to a Leicestershire player within 12 months of this hearing, the club will be deducted either 12 LV= County Championship points (or equivalent), 2 Royal London Cup points (or equivalent) or 2 Vitality Blast points (or equivalent). 

The more serious the breach or breaches, the more likely it is that points will be deducted.’

Yorkshire will now progress to the latter stages of a competition they have never won – barring a combination of a huge defeat at Grace Road and a similar winning margin for Nottinghamshire over Worcestershire.

Yorkshire are now likely to progress to the latter stages of a competition they have never won