Lightning strike against Durham after defeat to Vikings

Bailey claimed two wickets and hit the
winning runs as Lancs chased 171 in Dubai.

Lancashire Lightning recovered after their earlier defeat to Yorkshire in Dubai by achieving a three-wicket victory against the Durham Jets in a tense run-chase.

The Lightning successfully chased Durham’s score of 170/5 after Ben Stokes had scored 66 from 33 deliveries, but Lancashire held their nerve to win with four balls to spare.

Durham were forced to bat first and Tom Bailey (2-14) continued his fine display with the ball as he took a further two wickets as he removed both of Durham’s openers.

Mark Stoneman (9) and Phil Mustard (4) were both caught by Jordan Clark as Durham’s innings got off to a faltering start before Stokes helped his side to post a daunting total.

Such was Durham’s progress that a total of 67/3 at the halfway stage had doubled not even five overs later, with a great deal of credit going to Stokes for an innings containing six sixes.

Scott Borthwick assisted Stokes with a score of 24 from 25 balls, before he was caught and bowled by Steven Croft with the score at 65/3. Stokes remained the only aggressive player in Durham’s ranks as he and Gordon Muchall (24) put on a partnership worth 72 for the fourth wicket.

Stokes reached his half-century with yet another six, before Jordan Clark (2-32) helped Lancashire to clamber their way back into the match. Stokes was the first to depart when he offered an easy catch to Arron Lilley before Muchall was bowled with the score at 152/5.

But Durham finished with purpose as Graham Clark (21) and Ryan Pringle (5) finished the innings unbeaten to set a target of 171 for the Lightning.

Having made 47 earlier in the day against Yorkshire, Luis Reece failed to continue his form on tour of Dubai and was the first wicket to fall in Lancashire’s run chase.

At 7/1 Reece handed Durham the ideal start when he was caught by Clarke off the bowling of McCarthy for just 6, forcing Livingstone to improve on his performance in the earlier match where he made only 10.

On this occasion the Lancashire opener made 31 and shared a vital partnership with Karl Brown (37) for the Lightning’s second wicket worth 63 runs as they kept their chances of winning the game alive.

The pair added 63 runs in eight overs but Lancashire needed an outright contribution similar to the one which Stokes gave Durham in order to win the match as comfortably as they would have liked.

But Brown’s knock of 37 proved to be the highest score of the innings which proved to be a great credit to how hard other Lancashire batsmen fought in order to achieve victory.

Livingstone departed when he was run out with the score at 70/2 but Brown continued to fight back as he moved towards a fifty which sadly alluded him and he was eventually dismissed by Paul Coughlin (1-23) after Steven Croft (21) had also been dismissed.

Lancashire lost four middle-innings wickets for the addition of just 23 runs as Croft, Brown and then Jordan Clark (4) were all removed in quick succession and at this stage in the match it was difficult to see how the Lightning were going to even come close to their target of 171.

Therefore, the contribution of wicketkeeper Alex Davies proved to be crucial as he finished unbeaten on 25 to help Lancashire to earn victory against the odds with the help of the Lancashire tail-enders.

Having fallen to 118/6 with the dismissal of Clark to Scott Borthwick (2-27), Paul Horton failed to make the telling contribution which was required and Lancashire subsequently required a further 46 runs to win, with batsmen coming and going, all too quickly.

Davies’ knock of 25 from 12 balls led a late revival as he and, initially Arron Lilley (15), guided Lancashire closer and closer to their target before the latter was removed by England hopeful Mark Wood (1-41) after a brisk innings.

Although Davies made more runs, it was Tom Bailey who had earlier taken to wickets, who finished the game for Lancashire, striking successive boundaries from Ben Stokes to earn the Lightning a consolation victory after they had been beaten by Yorkshire in the Emirates Cup.

For full details on the match, the scorecards are below:

Lancashire innings:

Durham innings: