Australian all-rounder James Faulkner is set to make his Lancashire debut against Derbyshire in the Natwest T20 Blast at the 3aaa County Ground.
Faulkner was present at Lancashire's Championship victory against Derbyshire at Southport, but was not included in the squad due to the volume of cricket he has been playing in the IPL. He was also part of the Australia side who won the World Cup in the winter, claiming the Man of the Match award for his efforts with the ball.
This is a game flourished with international talent and the presence of Sri-Lankan, Tillakaratne Dilshan, provides a much-needed boost to a Derbyshire side who are yet to win in their first two games of the tournament. Providing his paperwork is in order and travelling to England goes as planned, the vastly experienced Dilshan will arrive in time to strengthen the squad.
Dilshan was not due to arrive until Hashim Amla had departed, but the injury of Australian Nathan Rimmington has allowed Derbyshire to welcome the all-rounder earlier than originally expected.
Lancashire enter this fixture on the back of two Championship victories, but their most recent t20 match ended in a comfortable defeat against the Durham Jets at Old Trafford last Friday. However, Derbyshire are yet to record a victory in their first two games of the campaign, suffering defeats to Yorkshire and Leicestershire.
Both of the defeats suffered by Derbyshire have also been remarkably convincing; Yorkshire romped home with seven wickets and 20 balls remaining, while Leicestershire reached their target of 164 with an over to spare.
The Foxes were beaten by Lancashire in the opening round of fixtures, the Lightning's only victory of the campaign thus far, and the visitor's will be hoping that their World-Cup winner can inspire them to a victory at Derby.
Paul Horton is due to make a return to action after serving a two-match ban due to an incident that occurred in the final of last year's tournament at Edgbaston, leaving the issue of who will captain the side in a state of flux.
Steven Croft is likely to continue his duties as stand-in captain, having done a superb job so far this season in the absence of Tom Smith, but Horton guided the Lightning to the final last year, where they were narrowly beaten by the Birmingham Bears.
Derbyshire have plenty of international expertise of their own to call upon and they will be out for revenge after Lancashire inflicted an innings defeat on them at Southport this week. Lancashire's in-form batsman in this format, Ashwell Prince, made 230 in Lancashire's first and only innings at Southport and after a career-best t20 score last Friday, Prince will be hoping to continue his good form across all formats.
Countryman Amla is due to make his final appearance for the Falcons after a short and indifferent spell at the club, but a match-winning performance against Lancashire could make his stint a successful one.
Key Players:
Tillakaratne Dilshan has played 232 Twenty20 matches, scoring over 5,000 runs and his formidable record in this format is one that makes him not only a match-winner, but somebody who can genuinely scare the opposition. The 38-year-old has played a successful role in all three formats of the game at international level and his invention of the 'Dilscoop' demonstrates his innovation in white-ball cricket.
Not only is he a destructive batsman, but he can also bowl his share of overs and his tricky off-breaks have rewarded him with 58 t20 wickets. Dilshan represented Surrey last season, scoring 173 runs in seven innings with a highest score of 46 against Kent.
The battle of the overseas talent will surely be important in this match and if Lancashire are to silence the likes of Dilshan and Amla, then James Faulkner will need to give a match-winning performance. Lancashire have not had such a notoriously quick and accurate left-arm seamer in their ranks since the likes of Wasim Akram and his Man of the Match performance in the World Cup final demonstrates his ability to deliver in big matches.
Faulkner has taken 127 wickets in 110 Twenty matches at an economy rate below eight runs per over, but he is also renowned for his ability to destroy bowlers with his long-range hitting. Faulkner recorded the fastest ODI century by an Australian in 57 balls against India in 2013. He has scored 878 runs in t20 cricket and his ability to make an impact with bat and ball will be a valuable asset in this match and the rest of the campaign for Lancashire.
Team news:
The inclusion of Dilshan and Amla will give Derbyshire the x-factor they need to get off the mark in this campaign and the Falcons will be hoping to record this victory in their first home game of the tournament. Rimmington has been ruled out of this fixture which has allowed Dilshan to feature earlier than planned, while Amla plays his final game for Derbyshire.
Captain Wayne Madsen is injured for at least four weeks, but with two international stars in their ranks, the hosts will have no excuses if they fail to deliver with the bat on home soil. Chesney Hughes will be looking to carry on his run of form in this format after making 59 against Leicestershire, while Wayne White could play against his former side.
Derbyshire 13-man squad: Tillakaratne Dilshan, Hashim Amla, Wes Durston (c), Chesney Hughes, Scott Elstone, Billy Godleman, Shiv Thakor, Tom Poynton (w/k), David Wainwright, Wayne White, Tony Palladino, Ben Cotton, Tom Knight.
Lancashire welcome the return of Paul Horton after the serving of a two-match ban for dissent and a debut for James Faulkner has been long-awaited after his absence in the four-day fixture against Derby. Club captain Tom Smith is also back in the team after playing back-to-back Twenty 20 matches against Warwickshire yesterday.
Scholarship player Rob Jones is also included after hitting a century for the second eleven this week, while Alviro Petersen has been left out from the team.
Lancashire 14-man squad: Ashwell Prince, Tom Smith Karl Brown, Steven Croft, Liam Livingstone, Paul Horton, James Faulkner, Alex Davies, Jordan Clark, Tom Bailey, George Edwards, Arron Lilley, Stephen Parry, Rob Jones.
Match information:
Weather and conditions: Early-morning rain will drift away by midday, leaving plenty of time to clear up any of the water that has fallen. By the evening, the sun will become a permanent feature and the match is not scheduled to have any interruptions. For a full weather forecast click here.
Ground: 3aaa County Ground
Start time: 7.00pm
Umpires: Neil Bainton, Peter Hartley.
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