Lewis provokes excitable emotions wherever he goes and here he marshalled the visiting attack so ably that Notts, from 104 for none, collapsed to a final total of 196 for eight in the space of 20 overs.

Astute field placings tied down Notts' opening pair of Paul Pollard and Usman Afzaal, even when they had both reached their half-centuries. Then when spinner Matthew Brimson fired a ball down leg to get Pollard ably stumped by Paul Nixon, Lewis came face to face with an old adversary in Notts captain Paul Johnson.

The two have crossed swords in the past and Johnson came to the crease clearly unhappy with his opening pair's slowing scoring rate - for all the runs on the board.

Johnson smashed Brimson over mid-off for four off his first ball, gave Afzaal the benefit of his experience on what was now needed and then immediately called his partner for a single off Lewis that clearly was not there.

Afzaal stayed put and when Johnson joined him at the same crease, Lewis jubilantly whipped off the bails at the other end. What made it worse for Johnson was that the umpire decided he was the one to go. The Notts captain ripped off his gloves with such venom that he almost took his hands off.

After that Notts' batting petered out. Lewis dismissed both Jason Gallian and Tim Robinson with short, lifting deliveries that must have been close to being called no-balls.

Alan Mullally, bowling with rare verve, went for only nine runs in his first nine overs and altogether this was a hint of what a strong attack Leicestershire have on call.

He got rid of Afzaal in the 45th over - one of five dismissals by the alert Nixon, including a later direct hit for a run-out after the opener had stayed too long, 141 balls for his 78, and hit only three boundaries.

But Notts hit back when Darren Maddy - now openly being talked off as an England prospect - carelessly wafted at Andy Oram and was taken at slip with only 14 runs on the board.