Sharks eliminate Lancashire in tough semi-final.

Micheal Yardy's men made an exhibition of the semi-final in Dubai against Lancashire, cruising to a 25-run victory after the Lightning failed to replicate their excellent start to their tour,  inflicting a heavy defeat upon the Fly Emirates XI yesterday afternoon. 

Lancashire were set an achievable total of 149 to win from their 20 overs, but were overwhelmed by the likes of Chris Liddle and Jon Lewis, who claimed two wickets each, as Sussex strolled to victory over the Lightning

Jordan Clark claimed impressive figures of 4-18 from his allocation, but the efforts of Yardy, who made 59 from 41 balls, and Matt Prior (21), were enough to seal a comfortable win.

Skipper, Paul Horton invited Yardy's men to bat first and this, initially, seemed to be a good decision by Lancashire, after the Sharks stumbled to 41-3 in the fifth over.

But a 65-run partnership between the Sussex captain and young Harry Finch (20) recovered the situation and a much more competitive target was on the board soon enough.

Clark's bowling became a vital component for keeping Lancashire in the match, but Ashar Zaidi added an unbeaten 24 as Sussex finished on 148-6.

This defeat was perhaps not as damaging as the repeat fixture last season, where Chris Nash guided Sussex to an eight-wicket victory, but Lancashire's inability to keep up with the run rate was plain for all to see.

Horton's men slipped to a similarly disappointing score of 44-3, but had faced a staggering eleven overs by this stage and were already facing defeat.

Openers Tom Smith and Karl Brown had made a 71-run stand yesterday Vs. the Fly Emirates XI, but were certainly off their best today with the first wicket off Smith falling at 16.

Brown soon followed his partner and at 30-2 the Lightning were a long way off achieving what had seemed a realistic target.

Liam Livingstone, Steven Croft and Horton all fell cheaply and with Lancashire's total at 83-5, the match had become a formality.

The absence of Luis Reece, who scored 61 for the MCC, may have helped Lancashire's cause, after their batsmen failed to adjust to the conditions in Dubai.

Clark attempted a clever shot against Jon Lewis, who finished with 2-34, which resulted in his demise, but Alex Davies showed some resistance despite the inevitable nature of the result.

Lancashire finished on 123-8 after Davies and Kabir Ali were both removed and Sussex earned a comfortable win which allows them to progress to the final for the second year in a row, where they will play either the MCC or the Karnataka Premier League XI.