A magnificent innings from Jos Buttler guided Lancashire to a thrilling four-wicket win at Headingley earlier this season off the final ball of the match, but since then the Lightning have hit a serious rut in form in the Blast.
Their win at Durham last week was their only victory in their last four matches, having won only two out of five games since their successful trip to Yorkshire. Three narrow and agonising defeats in that time have left Lancashire in dire need of a good run of form to stand any chance of qualifying for the quarter-finals.
Yorkshire have experienced a similarly frustrating campaign despite recruiting the hard-hitting Australian duo, Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell. The former was injured during the IPL and was forced to miss several matches while on the sidelines. Maxwell has been unable to inspire the Vikings with his remarkable ability to hit the white ball to all parts of the ground and their lack of resounding success has left Yorkshire second-bottom in the North Group.
However, Roses matches are always evenly fought encounters and with plenty of world-class talent on offer, form can be an irrelevant notion. The likes of Finch, Maxwell and Lancashire all-rounder James Faulkner, will all be keen to represent Australia with match-winning performances and any one of them could be the deciding factor if Lancashire's recent run of tight results is anything to go by.
Key Players:
Aaron Finch may only have scored 43 runs in four T20 appearances for Yorkshire this season, but it is impossible to discount a man of his calibre in this format of the game. The Australian batsman hit 88 off 55 balls the last time he appeared for Yorkshire against their Roses rivals at Old Trafford and he will be keen to inspire them to a victory, however narrow, after the defeat suffered in the reverse fixture - which he missed due to his hamstring injury.
Stephen Parry has recently said that he is looking for a move away from Lancashire due to a lack of opportunities in four-day cricket, but he is undeniably the Lightning's frontline spinner in limited-overs cricket. He has been economical and consistent in recent matches and he will be looking to make a statement given his recent frustration to make a bid for first-team action at Old Trafford. Parry has taken 11 wickets at an average of 17.64 in nine T20 matches this summer.
Team Information:
Lancashire 13-man squad: Steven Croft (c), Tom Bailey, Karl Brown, Jordan Clark, Alex Davies (w/k), James Faulkner, Paul Horton, Kyle Jarvis, Arron Lilley, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood, Stephen Parry, Ashwell Prince.
Yorkshire 14-man squad: Andrew Gale (c), Jonny Bairstow (w/k), Karl Carver, Ben Coad, Aaron Finch, Matthew Fisher, Ryan Gibson, Andrew Hodd, Jack Leaning, Glenn Maxwell, James Middlebrook, Steve Patterson, Richard Pyrah, Will Rhodes.
Match Information:
Weather and conditions: Dry and sunny, although the threat of rain is never far away with the recent humid conditions. For a full weather forecast, click here.
Ground: Emirates Old Trafford
Start time: 6.30pm
Umpires: Nigel Cowley, Steve Gale
Match odds (SkyBet): Lancashire 1/1, Yorkshire 4/5
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