Preview: Yorkshire Vikings v Lancashire Lightning - NatWest T20 Blast

Lancashire Lightning travel to Headingley for their NatWest T20 Blast encounter against Yorkshire Vikings, as they aim to make it four wins in as many matches against their Roses rivals.


Ashley Giles' side recorded a 26-run victory at Emirates Old Trafford earlier this season, despite a scintillating 92 not out in 58 balls from Joe Root. However, Lancashire have failed to replicate this form in their other home games, meaning that a late run of form away from Old Trafford is needed to secure qualification from the North Group.


The last three meetings between these old enemies has ended in victory for Lancashire, with the reigning champions hoping to retain the bragging rights in order to rectify an inconsistent start to their defence of the Twenty20 title. The fixture at Headingley last summer featured appearances from a plethora of international stars, with England's Jos Buttler playing a heroic hand for the Red Rose.


His unbeaten 71 off 35 balls helped Lancashire to win off the final ball by four wickets, with the Lightning hitting 72 runs in the last five overs to record an unlikely win. When the sides met at the start of June, Lancashire won by 26 runs after posting 204/7. Liam Livingstone hit a 21-ball fifty, the joint-fastest half-century by a Lancashire player in the format.


Yorkshire's limited-overs plight has extended into the 2016 campaign, with Jason Gillespie's men managing only one win in seven group games. Lancashire, meanwhile, have won three of their eight matches this term, which means a strong finish to the T20 tournament could see them through to the knockout stages for the third season in a row.

Stephen Parry claimed Lancashire's best T20 figures in the last group game against Worcestershire Rapids, with the left-arm spinner collecting 5-13 in four overs to help the Lightning record a massive win by 96 runs. This was Lancashire's second-highest margin of victory in the format and Giles' side will be hopeful that this commanding win signals a strong finish to the season, with a third trip to Edgbaston in as many seasons still on the cards.


The trip to Headingley at the end of May in the County Championship resulted in a win for the White Rose, but Lancashire have a nine-point lead at the top of the Division One table following their rain-affected draw at Lord's earlier this week. New Zealand's top-order hitter Kane Williamson will offer Lancashire a genuine threat in this fixture, with the Kiwi batsman scoring 2,633 runs for his country across all formats in 2015.


Nathan Buck has taken seven wickets in only two T20 appearances this season at a tidy average and economy rate of 5.43 and the former Leicestershire man claimed career-best figures of 4-26 against Birmingham Bears at Edgbaston. Lancashire will have to make a decision about who will open alongside Alviro Petersen, after Martin Guptill played his final match for the Red Rose last Friday against Worcester.


Luis Reece has been name in the 14-man squad after a long spell out of the First Team and the left-handed opener could be in line for a recall after scoring an unbeaten century for the Seconds against Durham last week.


Yorkshire 14-man squad: Alex Lees (c), Gary Ballance, Tim Bresnan, Karl Carver, Ben Coad, Ryan Gibson, Andrew Hodd (wk), Jack Leaning, Adams Lyth, Steven Patterson, Azeem Rafiq, Will Rhodes, Josh Shaw, Kane Williamson.

Lancashire 14-man squad: Steven Croft (c), Karl Brown, Nathan Buck, Jordan Clark, George Edwards, Rob Jones, Arron Lilley, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood, Tom Moores (wk), Stephen Parry, Alviro Petersen, Luke Procter, Luis Reece.