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When you are out of form, it can be the
hardest thing for a cricketer to recapture, but for Steven Croft the 2014
season continues to be a success across the board as he sets his sights on a
record-breaking visit to Edgbaston.
Lancashire’s trip to Warwickshire will see
the in-form all-rounder register his 96th consecutive appearance in
twenty20 cricket and overtake Paul Nixon as the Englishman with the most
consecutive appearances in this format of the game.
For Croft, this milestone comes at an
interesting time in the 29-year-old’s career, having hit two Championship
centuries in the last four matches, including a career-best 156 against
Northants.
Lancashire have been struggling to compete
in the Championship this season, but in white-ball cricket they have been a
confident side and have continued to perform well at home.
Although Lancashire have the best home
record in the country, they must now turn their attention away from Emirates
Old Trafford and instead towards the Birmingham Bears, who remain in contention
to qualify from the North Group.
The Lightning were denied the opportunity
to play any of their blockbuster clash with the Yorkshire Vikings at Headingley
last Friday and so they will be eager to get a full game in at Edgbaston.
Lancashire are currently joint-top of the
North Group with Worcestershire on 13 points and will feel that two more wins
will all-but secure qualification and a coveted home tie.
Warwickshire, however, will simply want to
qualify by any means necessary, after failing to strike a consistent run of
form in the Natwest t20 Blast, but with a game in hand over most other
counties, they still have a good chance of finishing in the top four.
Key
men:
Birmingham
Bears: The opening combination of William
Porterfield and Varun Chopra has been integral to Warwickshire’s t20 success.
If they are to make a fast start in this match, the responsibility will fall to
Porterfield to propel the innings as the counties leading run-scorer in this
format.
In his last t20 outing, Porterfield made 71
from 41 balls to help his side reach 189-5 against Derbyshire, a score which
was ultimately not enough, but it is this sort of hitting that the Bears will need
to continue if they are to establish a run of form as a team.
Lancashire
Lightning: A
lot of attention will be on the likes of Jos Buttler and Tom Smith, but the
undeniable talent of Junaid Khan has been a
spectacle for Lancashire fans. He has already claimed 14 wickets at an
average of just 12.57, but it is the economical attribute of his game that has
been revered most in his second stint at the Old Trafford.
Khan is capable of bowling yorkers at will
and has afforded just 6.5 runs per over this season, earning himself a place in
the Pakistan squad this summer. This does however mean that he only has another
three matches with Lancashire before his departure, but after playing a key
role in the reverse fixture with figures of 4-12, he will be a big player in
this fixture.
Form:
Birmingham
Bears: WWLLL
Lancashire
Lightning: WWLWW
Weather
and conditions: It is difficult to see the match
not being affected by the weather at some point, with rain forecast throughout
the evening across the Midlands. When the rain does hit it looks like it could
also be particularly heavy but there are also some dry patches, which means
Edgbaston may be surrounded by rain, but narrowly avoid what will be terminal
weather if it does decide to fall.
Date:
Friday 4 July 2014
Ground:
Edgbaston.
Time:
6.30 pm
Umpires:
Jeremy Lloyds and George Sharp
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