Ashwell Prince – A remarkable season has seen Prince score 1,478 runs at an average of 67.18. His farewell season includes a career-best 261 against Glamorgan at Colwyn Bay – one of two double-hundred to be hit by the South-African maestro – and his absence next season will leave a sizeable void in Lancashire’s ranks. One of only two Lancashire players to have appeared in every single game this season, Prince has made his mark across all three campaigns for Lancashire this summer. He announced his retirement after five seasons at Old Trafford during his final home game against Surrey, scoring five centuries to finish the leading run-scorer in four-day cricket from either division.
Kyle Jarvis – A broken hand has plighted what should have been a formidable campaign for the Zimbabwean fast-bowler. 62 wickets in four-day cricket at 24.47 made Jarvis the deadliest bowler in the country until injury brought his season to a premature end. Jarvis has, arguably, been Lancashire’s most improved player this year, taking four five-wicket-hauls in Championship cricket. His new-ball pairing with Peter Siddle and latterly Tom Bailey made Lancashire a formidable bowling side in the first half of the season and the Red Rose will need another strong showing from Jarvis in Division One in 2016.
Karl Brown – Lancashire’s dependable opening batsman recorded seven consecutive scores of fifty or more in four-day cricket and his pedigree for the shorter format of the game has included some memorable performances for the Lightning. Brown averaged 45.06 in four-day cricket after scoring 766 runs and his form in the T20 Blast was a vital component in Lancashire’s maiden Twenty20 trophy. With the departure of Paul Horton after 12 seasons at Old Trafford, Brown must now consider himself to be one of the more experienced players at Lancashire and use his experience to help develop the likes of Luis Reece and Haseeb Hameed at the top of the order.
Steven Croft – Consistency and leadership have epitomised Croft’s season at Lancashire. The club’s leading run-scorer (478) in the T20 format has done a superb job in the absence of Tom Smith, guiding the Lightning to Edgbaston and lifting the trophy after the disappointment of the 2014 campaign. He and Prince are the only two Lancashire players to have featured in every single match this season and his recent form in four-day cricket has seen Croft accumulate 874 runs.
Alex Davies – The 21-year-old has made a significant contribution across the board this season, with his Man of the Match innings in the final of the T20 Blast standing tall and proud. Davies has developed himself into a dependable batsman in the four-day game, accumulating 730 runs before injury ended his season prematurely. Before then, Davies had hit seven fifties and averaged 40.56 He hit a List A career-best of 73 against Warwickshire at Old Trafford.
Haseeb Hameed – England’s joint captain at Under-19 level has seized his opportunity at the top of the order with both hands, recording his maiden first-class fifty against Surrey at Old Trafford. He is certainly one-to-watch for the future and following the departure of Paul Horton, his promising start to life in the first team is a welcome sight for the Red Rose County. His innings of 91 against Surrey secured a draw against Surrey, a knock which not only showed his impressive temperament for the longer format, but also his maturity for someone so young.
Gavin Griffiths – A man for the big occasion, Griffiths made his Twenty20 debut – of all places – at Edgbaston on Final’s Day. Unfazed by the grandeur of a sell-out crowd, Griffiths delivered a maiden with his very first over against Hampshire on debut, claiming 2-23 to guide Lancashire to successive finals at Edgbaston.
Stephen Parry – Lancashire’s joint-leading wicket-taker in the T20 Blast has been a consistent performer in white-ball cricket for a number of years now and he has recently been recognised by the international selectors for his reliability. Parry took 25 wickets at an average 15.68, with an economy rate of just 6.88. The left-arm spinner also took more wickets than any other Lancashire player (11) in the 50-over contest.
Ashwell Prince – The South-African veteran has made an impression across all three competitions, recording the only one-day century for Lancashire this season in the Royal London Cup against Hampshire. Prince managed 455 Twenty20 runs and his contribution in the final against Northamptonshire, alongside Alex Davies, gave the Lighting a superb start to the game.
Steven Croft – The leading run-scorer for Lancashire in the Twenty20 format, Croft gave some truly memorable performances in white-ball cricket this season. He recorded a new career-best in the T20 format, hitting 94 not out in 49 balls against Derbyshire at Old Trafford and scored 478 runs at an average of 43.45 throughout the tournament.
James Faulkner – The World-Cup winner claimed 25 wickets in the T20 Blast and his final appearance for Lancashire was the final against Northants. Faulkner carried on bowling even after Shahid Afridi had dislocated his finger and his accumulation of 302 runs included back-to-back sixes to take Lancashire to the T20 final.
Arron Lilley v Nottinghamshire Outlaws – Steven Mullaney thought he had guided the ball to a vacant deep mid-wicket region, only for Lilley to pluck the ball with both hands, diving through the air to take a truly memorable catch at Emirates Old Trafford. Lancashire went on to lose the game by three wickets off the final delivery of the match, but they ultimately progressed to the quarter-finals ahead of Nottinghamshire.
Steven Croft v Birmingham Bears – The Sky cameras may not have captured this particular catch, but Croft’s one-handed grab at backward point was a magnificent piece of fielding. It was a trademark piece of fielding from the Lancashire captain, who makes these kinds of catches look easy. In the very same fixture, Croft also hit a vital 64 and took two wickets, a remarkable all-round display from the stand-in captain.
Arron Lilley/Karl Brown v Kent Spitfires – The catch which potentially signalled to Lancashire fans that their Twenty20 drought was finally over. Lilley dived through the air, catching the ball with one hand on the square leg boundary and had the presence of mind to throw the ball back in the direction of Brown. Given that it was a quarter-final match which Lancashire won on the technicality of losing less wickets, it was not only a sensational catch, but an important one too.
James Anderson v Surrey – Zafar Ansari was on 99 when Croft delivered a fairly innocuous full toss, one which offered Anderson the opportunity to dive to his left and pluck the ball with one hand.
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