Preview: Yorkshire Vikings v Lancashire Lightning - NatWest T20 Blast

Lancashire Lightning travel to Headingley for their NatWest T20 Blast encounter against Yorkshire Vikings, as they aim to make it four wins in as many matches against their Roses rivals.


Ashley Giles' side recorded a 26-run victory at Emirates Old Trafford earlier this season, despite a scintillating 92 not out in 58 balls from Joe Root. However, Lancashire have failed to replicate this form in their other home games, meaning that a late run of form away from Old Trafford is needed to secure qualification from the North Group.


The last three meetings between these old enemies has ended in victory for Lancashire, with the reigning champions hoping to retain the bragging rights in order to rectify an inconsistent start to their defence of the Twenty20 title. The fixture at Headingley last summer featured appearances from a plethora of international stars, with England's Jos Buttler playing a heroic hand for the Red Rose.


His unbeaten 71 off 35 balls helped Lancashire to win off the final ball by four wickets, with the Lightning hitting 72 runs in the last five overs to record an unlikely win. When the sides met at the start of June, Lancashire won by 26 runs after posting 204/7. Liam Livingstone hit a 21-ball fifty, the joint-fastest half-century by a Lancashire player in the format.


Yorkshire's limited-overs plight has extended into the 2016 campaign, with Jason Gillespie's men managing only one win in seven group games. Lancashire, meanwhile, have won three of their eight matches this term, which means a strong finish to the T20 tournament could see them through to the knockout stages for the third season in a row.

Stephen Parry claimed Lancashire's best T20 figures in the last group game against Worcestershire Rapids, with the left-arm spinner collecting 5-13 in four overs to help the Lightning record a massive win by 96 runs. This was Lancashire's second-highest margin of victory in the format and Giles' side will be hopeful that this commanding win signals a strong finish to the season, with a third trip to Edgbaston in as many seasons still on the cards.


The trip to Headingley at the end of May in the County Championship resulted in a win for the White Rose, but Lancashire have a nine-point lead at the top of the Division One table following their rain-affected draw at Lord's earlier this week. New Zealand's top-order hitter Kane Williamson will offer Lancashire a genuine threat in this fixture, with the Kiwi batsman scoring 2,633 runs for his country across all formats in 2015.


Nathan Buck has taken seven wickets in only two T20 appearances this season at a tidy average and economy rate of 5.43 and the former Leicestershire man claimed career-best figures of 4-26 against Birmingham Bears at Edgbaston. Lancashire will have to make a decision about who will open alongside Alviro Petersen, after Martin Guptill played his final match for the Red Rose last Friday against Worcester.


Luis Reece has been name in the 14-man squad after a long spell out of the First Team and the left-handed opener could be in line for a recall after scoring an unbeaten century for the Seconds against Durham last week.


Yorkshire 14-man squad: Alex Lees (c), Gary Ballance, Tim Bresnan, Karl Carver, Ben Coad, Ryan Gibson, Andrew Hodd (wk), Jack Leaning, Adams Lyth, Steven Patterson, Azeem Rafiq, Will Rhodes, Josh Shaw, Kane Williamson.

Lancashire 14-man squad: Steven Croft (c), Karl Brown, Nathan Buck, Jordan Clark, George Edwards, Rob Jones, Arron Lilley, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood, Tom Moores (wk), Stephen Parry, Alviro Petersen, Luke Procter, Luis Reece.

Lancashire take draw after final day washout against Middlesex

Lancashire extended their lead at the top of Division One in the Specsavers County Championship with a nine-point draw against Middlesex at Lord's after persistent rain prevented a ball being bowled on the last day.

The game had been drifting to a draw from an early stage, with both Lancashire and Middlesex scoring highly on a friendly batting wicket. Middlesex reached 419/5 in reply to the visitors first-innings total of 513 all out, as Nick Gubbins posted a career-best 201 not out yesterday afternoon.

Gubbins and his 22-year-old teammate Stephen Eskinazi (106) added 208 runs for the second wicket, helping the home side to secure full batting points and walk away with 11 points. Lancashire take a nine-point lead over rivals Yorkshire in second place, although the White Rose now have a game in hand to try and overturn the deficit.

Coincidentally, Lancashire's next match is against Yorkshire in the NatWest T20 Blast on Friday evening, with Ashley Giles' side hoping to achieve the double over their rivals in their bid to retain the Twenty20 trophy this season. 

Lancashire's 513 included 191 for Alviro Petersen, his highest score of the season, while Haseeb Hameed backed up his maiden first-class century against Warwickshire with 89 at Lord's. Liam Livingstone also hit his sixth fifty of the campaign with a run-a-ball 58, but Lancashire could only pick up one bowling point.

Following the trip to Headingley in the Twenty20 contest, Lancashire will travel to Trent Bridge to play Nottinghamshire, although the Red Rose will be without James Anderson, who is recovering from a shoulder injury. This match will also be Neil Wagner's last appearance for Lancashire prior to meeting up with New Zealand for their upcoming Test series' against Zimbabwe and South Africa this summer.

Middlesex pile on runs as Gubbins scores double-hundred at Lord's

Nick Gubbins (201*) registered his maiden first-class double-hundred for Middlesex, as they enjoyed a superb day with the bat against Division One leaders Lancashire at Lord's in the Specsavers County Championship.

The left-handed opening batsman shared a mammoth partnership with Stephen Eskinazi worth 208 runs for the second-wicket stand, helping Middlesex to post 419/5 in reply to Lancashire's 513 all out. Eskinazi recorded his first century in only his second four-day appearance for Middlesex and his first match of the season, while Gubbins batted for nearly seven and a half hours to secure his first double-century at the age of 22.

Middlesex ensured that they would walk away from this game - one that has been dominated by the bat - with full batting points, as Gubbins added a further 95 runs with captain James Franklin (41) to take the hosts beyond 400, before rain curtailed the third day with an hour left to play.

Gubbins and Eskinazi started the day with their partnership already at a value of 87 runs and a wicketless morning session saw the former register his second century of the summer. Starting Day Three seven runs shy of his first ever half-century, the South-African batsman Eskinazi did not take long to progress to his fifty, reaching this milestone in 80 balls with his seventh boundary.

Having hit 109 against Somerset in May, Gubbins went to his second hundred of the summer in 203 balls, denying a disciplined Lancashire attack any opportunities on an incredibly flat and lifeless Lord's batting track. Middlesex were able to add 93 runs before lunch without losing any wickets, with Eskinazi nine runs short of his first ever century in first-class cricket.

In the early stages of the afternoon session, he realised his ambition of scoring a maiden hundred at Lord's, with his first ever century coming in style in 175 balls with a swept six off Matthew Parkinson (1-110). Middlesex needed solid contributions to match Lancashire's effort with the bat and they found it in two young batsmen - both aged just 22 - who reached a two-hundred-run partnership in 351 deliveries.

At this point, it was hard to see where a wicket was coming from, but Lancashire remained resolute in spite of the lack of assistance on offer. The Red Rose were offered a second chance when the new ball arrived and Kyle Jarvis (2-101) obliged by picking up the wicket of Eskinazi with his third ball of a new spell, as Tom Smith took the important catch at second slip with the score at 267/2.

Dawid Malan (24) made a brief appearance before Neil Wagner (1-83) got a rising delivery to take the edge of the bat, with Smith's safe hands once again being called into question in the slips. Lancashire had their third wicket for 42 runs when Jordan Clark (1-60) came onto bowl and struck with his very first delivery, bowling John Simpson (1) a former member of Lancashire's Second Team.

Gubbins went to 150 for the first time in his career in 291 balls and he continued to accelerate, hitting  Clark for the second of his three sixes to help take Middlesex to 350, hitting his third maximum the ball after the home side had secured a fourth batting point. Skipper Franklin provided useful support to Gubbins, hitting seven boundaries in his brisk innings of 41 from 51 balls, as the pair added 95 runs for the fifth wicket to help Middlesex take all five batting points.

Jarvis was able to deny them a hundred-partnership when he encouraged Franklin to edge a drive behind to Steven Croft at 404/5, but Lancashire were unable to take the sixth wicket in time, meaning that the Red Rose only claimed one bowling point. Before this match, Lancashire were the only team to have maximum bowling points, which speaks volumes for the lack of encouragement available to their bowlers on a featherbed of a wicket.

When the players returned for the tea interval, the light was poor and rain was due to make its way across London, but their was just enough time for Gubbins to reach two-hundred for the first time in his career. His 23rd boundary came off the final ball of the third day, taking Gubbins to 200 in 329 deliveries, but this was the final act of the day, as the players left the field for bad light, before play was abandoned at 5.45pm.

Middlesex fight back after Petersen goes big for Lancashire at Lord's

Alviro Petersen hit 191 to help Lancashire post 513 in their first innings against Middlesex at Lord's, but the hosts responded with a similarly strong display thanks to an unbeaten 71 from Nick Gubbins.

Middlesex closed on 146/1, as Gubbins shared an unbroken partnership with Stephen Eskinazi (43*) worth 87 runs for the second wicket, after Sam Robson (21) helped to add 59 runs for the opening stand with the left-handed opener.

Petersen and Liam Livingstone - who hit a run-a-ball 58 to record his sixth fifty of the season - added 97 runs for the sixth wicket, but Middlesex stood firm, as Toby Roland-Jones (4-122) and Ollie Rayner (4-120) claimed four wickets apiece when Lancashire's lower order threw the bat in the early stages of the afternoon session.

In a game that already appears to be heading for a draw, barring a miraculous capitulation from Middlesex tomorrow morning, Lancashire will need to extract as many bonus points from the game as possible, but a circumspect start with the bat saw the Red Rose collect only three batting points. Petersen and captain Steven Croft resumed for the visitors, needing just two more runs to secure the third batting point, which they claimed in the first over of the day.

Having shared an unbroken stand worth precisely 100 runs, the hope was that one or both batsmen would kick on for the first hour of the day to see if Lancashire could get a fourth batting point, but the loss of Croft for 46 hampered their progress to reach 350 before 110 overs arrived. Croft, who was dropped twice on the first day, attempted to hit Rayner's first ball of the day for a crisp reverse-sweep, but instead the ball looped behind to John Simpson, with the skipper departing at 326/4.

Petersen started the day on par with the 105 he made against Surrey at Old Trafford earlier this season and it was the South-African veteran who sought to kick on after he and Croft had added 128 runs for the fourth wicket. Falling 16 runs short of a fourth batting point, all Lancashire could do was build a sizeable lead over their hosts and Petersen obliged by going on to reach 150 in 241 deliveries.

Karl Brown (21) made a promising start, but his sweep found the hands of James Fuller at square-leg off the bowling of Rayner at 368/5. It was then up to Livingstone to come out and deliver another fast-paced and flamboyant innings, with his innings of 58 from as many balls injecting a sense of urgency to the morning session. 

Livingstone hit four boundaries in his first 15 balls at the crease, helping the Barrow-born batsman to take his average in four-day cricket above one-hundred, however temporarily. His flare helped Lancashire to add 106 runs in the first session, as the Red Rose entered lunch on 404/5, with Petersen and Livingstone going on to add a fifty-partnership in little more than half an hour in 52 balls.

Back-to-back boundaries off James Franklin saw Livingstone reach fifty for the sixth time this season in red-ball cricket in 54 balls, following his second century of the season against Warwickshire. His desire to continue in this one-day modus operandi resulted in his departure, as Fuller took a smart catch running backwards from mid-off to give Roland-Jones the first of three quick wickets.

Petersen attempted to pick up where Livingstone had left off, hitting Roland-Jones into the Grand Stand over mid-wicket for six, but the Middlesex seamer had immediate revenge, taking a reaction catch off his own bowling to remove Petersen for 191 off 285 balls. Roland-Jones had his fourth and final victim when Jordan Clark fell cheaply for 3 having been trapped lbw at 490/8, as Lancashire lost three quick wickets for 19 runs.

The final five wickets fell for the addition of 42 runs in Lancashire's cause to bolster their total, with Neil Wagner hitting three boundaries in his cameo of 14 from nine balls before he hauled out to Dawid Malan on the mid-wicket boundary off Rayner. Lancashire managed to progress beyond the 500 mark, with Kyle Jarvis hitting successive fours down the ground off Rayner, but he was the final man to go when he tried to repeat the result, picking out Robson on the long-off fence, as the visitors were all out for 513.

A flurry of wickets at the start of the afternoon session was followed by a long and painstaking day for Lancashire, as they took their turn to endure the downside of a flat Lord's wicket. Jarvis and Wagner were disciplined in their opening spells, bowling tight and aggressively to the Middlesex openers, Robson and Gubbins, but the duo took 27 runs from the 12 overs before tea without taking any risks.

After progressing to a fifty-partnership in 112 balls in the evening session, Robson found himself victim of the only Middlesex wicket to fall in the day, as Matthew Parkinson struck with his eighth ball of the match to give Lancashire a glimmer of hope. Robson (21) flashed an edge to Livingstone at slip at 59/1, but the rest of the day belonged to Gubbins and Eskinazi.

Gubbins achieved his fifth half-century of the season in 95 deliveries, as he and Eskinazi (43*) added another fifty runs to the total at a brisk pace of 64 balls. By close of play, Middlesex had taken the total to 146/1, with Lancashire leading by 367 runs heading into the third day.

Petersen century spearheads strong day for Lancashire at Lord's

Alviro Petersen (105*) hit the 41st century of his first-class career to give Lancashire a strong platform on the first day of their Specsavers County Championship match against Middlesex at Lord's.

The South-African hit his second Championship century of the season to guide the visitors to 298/3 at close, sharing an unbroken partnership worth exactly 100 runs for the fourth wicket with captain Steven Croft (34*).

Teenage prodigy Haseeb Hameed had earlier threatened to record back-to-back hundreds for Lancashire, but he fell for 89 in the afternoon session after sharing 97 runs with Petersen for the third wicket, although he did manage to pass fifty for the fifth time this season.

Hameed set a platform for the rest of the Red Rose batsmen with another mature innings, sharing 65 runs with Luke Procter (45) either side of lunch, after Lancashire won the toss and decided to bat first following their 11-point draw against Warwickshire earlier this week.

Tom Smith attempted to see the shine off the new ball alongside his 19-year-old batting partner, but the Middlesex skipper James Franklin (1-32) enjoyed immediate success with the ball to find the first breakthrough for his side. The New Zealand all-rounder struck with the final ball of his first over, trapping Smith lbw for 17 at 36/1, but Hameed and Procter were able to see the visitors to lunch without any further setbacks.

Procter made an eye-catching start, hitting four boundaries in his first 12 balls at the crease, injecting a degree of impetus to Lancashire's morning session progress. The duo achieved a fifty-partnership before the lunch break, as the visitors reached 87/1. Having made excellent progress before lunch, Procter found his hopes of securing a second fifty of the season cut short when he edged Tim Murtagh (1-56) to Ollie Rayner at second slip.

An uncharacteristic rush of blood saw Hameed dispatch Toby Roland-Jones for six with a pull shot, as the Bolton batsman went on to reach fifty for the fifth time this season in 137 balls. Hameed found excellent support in Petersen and the pair went on to add a watchful fifty-partnership in 122 balls, with Petersen playing a restrained and mature innings.

When tea arrived, Lancashire had two strong sessions under their belt, reaching 176/2 and both Hameed and Petersen were approaching their respective milestones. Following his maiden first-class century against Warwickshire on Wednesday, Hameed was well on his way to repeating the feat after the interval, but Roland-Jones (1-74) denied the promising youngster successive hundreds.

Sam Robson took a juggling catch at first slip to send Hameed on his way for 89 after he and Petersen added 97 runs for third wicket, but this was to be the final glimpse of success for the home side. Petersen's patient half-century arrived in 97 deliveries with only one boundary to his name, with the Lancashire captain surviving two dropped catches in quick succession.

The first of these opportunities came with Croft on 17, as he skied Rayner to Paul Striling for a simple catch, but the Irishman - who received his county cap earlier in the day - put down a routine chance, with Croft showing noticeable gratitude for this let-off. These two dropped catches were sandwiched by the third fifty-partnership of the innings, one that came up in just 58 balls, as Petersen hit Rayner for four and then a big six over mid-wicket in successive deliveries.

Croft was then gifted a second life on 19 when Robson got a hand on a sharp chance in the slips, although in truth the ball came at such speed that he did well to stop it from going to the boundary. When the new ball arrived, Middlesex were able to wear the opposition down in the fading light at Lord's, but Petersen stood firm to reach his second century of the season in 159 balls, with only 14 deliveries left in the day.

The milestones continued to be ticked off into the latter stages of the opening day, as Petersen and Croft achieved the first hundred-partnership of the match in 154 balls, three balls before the close. This partnership, worth precisely 100 runs at stumps, had taken Lancashire to a strong total of 298/3, with Petersen's combination of patience against the newer ball and aggression to the spinners reaping rewards for the Port-Elizabeth maestro. 

Preview: Middlesex v Lancashire - Specsavers CC

Lancashire hope to extend their lead at the top of Division One in the Specsavers County Championship, as they travel to Lord's to take on Middlesex at The Home of Cricket.

Ashley Giles's side endured a thrilling four-day contest against Warwickshire at Old Trafford in their last Championship match, with both Haseeb Hameed and Liam Livingstone hitting centuries on the final day to secure an 11-point draw for the Red Rose county.

The current leaders of the first division are ahead of their rivals Yorkshire by virtue of having won more games, with both Roses teams holding 99 points after seven matches. Lancashire are the only team in either division to have collected maximum bowling points from all of their matches so far this season and the form of local talent has once again been at the forefront of their success.

As well as Hameed's maiden first-class hundred and Livingstone's first century at Old Trafford - his second of the summer - 19-year-old leg-spinner Matthew Parkinson took five wickets on his first-class debut in Warwickshire's first innings, giving Lancashire the upper hand against one of the most successful teams in the history of the County Championship.

Lancashire have also been able to call on the success of their more experienced personnel, with captain Steven Croft also hitting a century in the game against Warwickshire. Seamer Kyle Jarvis is also having another superb season with the ball, with his current tally of victims in four-day cricket standing at 31 wickets at an average of 23.61.

Instead of fearing a third successive relegation from Division One, Lancashire are hoping that they can upset the odds and achieve their second Championship success in six seasons, after they lifted the trophy at Taunton in 2011. 

Lancashire's last meeting with Middlesex in red-ball cricket was memorable for all the wrong reasons as far as Lancashire are concerned. In 2014, the two sides met at Old Trafford to decide which of them would retain first-division status and it was the London outfit who prevailed, having entered the match in the stronger position and managing to earn a hard-fought draw.

In that season, Lancashire only managed three wins from 16 Championship matches, but the Red Rose have already claimed that many victories in this campaign. Lancashire's last trip to Lord's was also one that ended in disappointment, with Middlesex collecting a 10-wicket victory, one that would prove vital come the end of the season when the two teams were battling for survival.

Middlesex have started this season admirably, given that they are one of four teams in the first division who are unbeaten after seven matches, but one win and six draws has left them with little to show for their undeniable quality. Having finished as runners-up to Yorkshire after narrowly avoiding relegation the previous season, Middlesex have shown time and time again that they possess and all-round threat in red-ball cricket.

International batsmen, such as Sam Robson and Adam Voges, have given Middlesex genuine quality at the top of their batting card, while veteran seamer Tim Murtagh continues to be a key wicket-taker for his side at the age of 34. Middlesex have not played a four-day game since the start of June, beating Hampshire by an innings and 116 runs to secure their first win of the season, having drawn their first six games.

Middlesex 13-man squad: James Franklin (c), Stephen Eskinazi, James Fuller, Nick Gubbins, James Harris, Ryan Higgins, Dawid Malan, Tim Murtagh, Ollie Rayner, Sam Robson, Toby Roland-Jones, John Simpson, Paul Stirling.

Lancashire 12-man squad: Steven Croft (c/wk), Karl Brown, Nathan Buck, Jordan Clark, Haseeb Hameed, Kyle Jarvis, Liam Livingstone, Matthew Parkinson, Alviro Petersen, Luke Procter, Tom Smith, Neil Wagner.

Parry rips through Worcestershire in thumping victory for Lancashire

Stephen Parry (5-13) claimed the best figures by a Lancashire player in Twenty20 cricket, as the Lightning recorded their second-biggest victory in the format by 96 runs against Worcestershire Rapids.

Worcestershire were bowled out for just 53 inside 14 overs after Parry and Nathan Buck (3-12) accounted for the mainstay of the Rapids' batting line-up, as they failed to get anywhere their target of 150.

Alviro Petersen carried his bat in a very measured innings of 68 from 58 balls to help push Lancashire to 149/6, with his innings coming into true perspective when Worcestershire found themselves 21/4 at the end of the powerplay. Worcestershire's miserable response saw them register the lowest score in a Twenty20 game involving Lancashire, with this mammoth victory taking Ashley Giles' side into fourth place in the North Group.

Martin Guptill's final appearance for Lancashire saw the New Zealand superstar hit only 6 from 11 balls before he was caught at short fine leg by Matt Henry off Jack Shantry, as Lancashire made a stuttered start to their innings after being put into bat. Thankfully both Petersen and Karl Brown (17) were on hand to inject some flare into proceedings as Petersen hit the first of two sixes down the ground off Leach.

Brown followed suit with a maximum of his own in the same over to give Lancashire a better platform after the first six overs at 58/1. South-African Petersen then hit his second six in quick succession, this time off Brett D'Oliviera over mid-wicket, but Brown fell to the next ball when he got a leading edge that looped up to D'Oliviera off the bowling of Daryl Mitchell (1-21) at 69/2.

Liam Livingstone played a typically aggressive knock, hitting back-to-back sixes over mid-wicket to help keep the momentum in full flow, as Petersen progressed to a vital half-century in 38 balls, his first fifty in the format for Lancashire this season. D'Oliveira continued to be heavily involved in proceedings, trapping Livingstone lbw for 28 off 17 balls when he failed to connect with a ramp shot.

Captain Steven Croft made just four runs before he was caught sharply in the covers by Mitchell off Joe Leach (2-34), who then had Jordan Clark (5) out cheaply in quick succession to restore balance to the match. Lancashire were losing momentum at the wrong time, but Petersen continued to play a very mature innings, unfazed by the wickets that were falling around him and he would finish with more runs to his name than the whole of Worcestershire's team combined.

He also found solid company in debutant Tom Moores (13*), who played with urgency and looked to hit the ball hard at the death of the innings. His back-to-back boundaries in the penultimate over relieved some of the pressure from Petersen and in the end Lancashire's total of 149/5 would be more than sufficient.

Buck set the tone with the very first ball when Tom Kohler-Cadmore gloved behind to Moores for a golden duck, as Buck followed up his career-best figures against Birmingham Bears with another impressive performance with the ball. Buck took three wickets in as many overs, removing the Worcestershire skipper Mitchell (5) in his second over when he got a more conventional edge behind to Moores at 13/2.

Clark was also very economical, collecting figures of 1-8 from three overs, as he removed Alexi Kervezee (4) when he was caught well by a back-peddling Parry at mid-off to leave the Rapids on 18/3 in the fourth over. Buck's menacing spell continued into his third and final over, as Joe Clarke flashed his drive into the hands of Guptill to depart for 9.

A terrific powerplay from Lancashire's perspective saw the visitors drag their way to 22/4, but matters were made much worse when Parry was introduced into the attack. The left-arm spinner finished with figures of 5-13 from four overs, removing the hard-hitting Ross Whitely (1) with his third ball when Moores had him stumped at 25/5.

Parry struck again in his second over to leave the score at 42/6, removing Ben Cox for 6 when he picked out Brown on the leg-side boundary. D'Oliviera's score of 16 from 30 balls proved to be biggest contribution in a miserable run-chase for the Rapids and he was Parry's third victim when he skied an attempted sweep to George Edwards at short fine leg.

The visitors lost their final five wickets for 11 runs, as Parry continued to do the damage with his variation of pace on a slow wicket, which made timing the ball incredibly hard for the Worcestershire batsmen. With their side already on the brink of a devastating defeat, the tail-end batsmen fell in quick succession, as Parry took three wickets in four balls to finish with Lancashire's best bowling figures in T20 cricket.

Leach (6) picked out Guptill on the boundary, before Henry became Parry's fifth victim, smashing his first shot to Clark on the long-on fence, as Parry claimed career-best figures in the shortest format. His efforts meant that Lancashire needed just one more wicket to secure victory by a gigantic margin and two big points in the scheme of their title defence, with Arron Lilley (1-12) picking up the final wicket of Ed Barnard, who was bowled for no score attempting a reverse sweep, as Worcester were bowled out inside 14 overs for a humiliating total of 53.

Preview: Lancashire Lightning v Worcestershire Rapids - NatWest T20 Blast

Lancashire Lightning enter a pivotal run of matches in the NatWest T20 Blast, as they look to turn around their indifferent form in the hope of launching a successful defence of their T20 crown.

With two wins in seven group games, Ashley Giles' side know that they need to put together a late resurgence, although they face another stern test against a very strong Worcestershire side, who are third in the North Group with nine points, but behind Northamptonshire Steelbacks and Birmingham Bears on net run rate.

Lancashire suffered their fourth Twenty20 defeat of the season against Birmingham by 18 runs on D/L method, leaving very little margin for error for the rest of the campaign. Martin Guptill, who is playing in his final game for Lancashire, will be hoping to leave the Red Rose with a match-winning performance after scoring 78 against Durham on debut.

Part of Lancashire's 14-man squad for this match is 19-year-old wicketkeeper Tom Moores, son of former coach Peter, who has been recruited on an emergency loan deal. Moores will fill the void left by Alex Davies, who had surgery for his knee injury on Tuesday, with captain Steven Croft having the option to retain the gloves in the four-day contest.

Croft is a key bowling option in limited-overs matches and, with Jos Buttler returning to international duty, Lancashire needed to recruit a long term replacement. Worcestershire have also been hit by England's ODI series against Sri Lanka, losing all-rounder Moeen Ali from the squad that was beaten at New Road by Nottinghamshire Outlaws.

Lancashire 14-man squad: Steven Croft (c), Karl Brown, Nathan Buck, Jordan Clark, George Edwards, Martin Guptill, Arron Lilley, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood, Tom Moores, Matthew Parkinson, Stephen Parry, Luke Procter, Alviro Petersen.

Worcestershire 13-man squad: Daryll Mitchel (c), Ed Barnard, Joe Clarke, Ben Cox, Brett D'Oliveira,  Matt Henry, Alexi Kervezee, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Joe Leach, George Rhodes, Chris Russell, Jack Shantry, Ross Whitely.

Hameed and Livingstone both score centuries in Warwickshire draw

Haseeb Hameed (103) and Liam Livingstone (106*) both scored hundreds for Lancashire at Old Trafford, as the Division One leaders settled for a draw against Warwickshire in the Specsavers County Championship.

Hameed registered his maiden first-class century, sharing a partnership worth 137 runs with Livingstone, who took his Championship average to 97.80 with his first hundred at Old Trafford and his second of the season in red-ball cricket to help Lancashire set a target of 312 on the final day.

Ian Bell (55*) and Jonathan Trott (50*) both made half-centuries, sharing an unbeaten partnership worth 111 runs, but Warwickshire were seemingly uninterested in making an effort of their run-chase, as the players shook hands at 5.30pm, with the visitors on 195/2.

11 points helps Lancashire retain their spot at the top of the Division ahead of rivals Yorkshire on virtue of having won more games, with the Red Rose's next challenge in the four-day competition taking them to the Home of Cricket.

Starting the day with a lead of 215 runs, overnight batsmen Hameed and Livingstone were both approaching respective milestones, as they sought to increase Lancashire's lead and set up a run-chase for their opponents. Livingstone progressed to his fifth half-century in ten Championship innings in 80 deliveries, as he and Hameed continued their positive approach from yesterday evening.

Their partnership was vital in allowing Lancashire to declare on 266/8 before lunch, with Hameed achieving a new career-best score in first-class cricket, surpassing the 91 he made against Surrey at Old Trafford at the end of last season. With many people tipping Hameed to have a promising future in the game, it was a day to remember in the early stages of his bright career, as the Bolton-born batsman went to his maiden first-class hundred in 291 balls.

Once he had reached three-figures, Lancashire purpose and intent to score runs became even more pronounced, but this cavalier approach was not without a certain amount of risk on a wicket that had not previously rewarded aggressive strokeplay. Rikki Clarke was responsible for setting up the fifth hat-trick ball of the match, taking three wickets in the space of four balls, as Warwickshire enjoyed a brief spell of success in a morning session that was dominated by the batting side.

His first breakthrough brought Hameed's 295-ball marathon to a conclusion when the teenager was trapped lbw for 103, breaking his 137-run stand with Livingstone, who would go on to reach a century of his own after a flurry of wickets. Arron Lilley flashed at a bouncer and edged behind to Ambrose, before Clarke had Neil Wagner bowled second ball without scoring, leaving Livingstone potentially stranded before he could repeat Hameed's accomplishment.

However, the tail survived long enough to allow the highly-talented Cumbrian to secure his first century at Old Trafford, after he made 108 against Somerset at Taunton at the start of May. Livingstone hit a second maximum to take him to 97, before his twelfth boundary took him to a second hundred of the season in only 115 balls.

Following Livingstone's century, Lancashire made a brave declaration on 266/8, setting Warwickshire a target of 312 in 72 overs. The visitors initially played in a manner befitting of the match situation, scoring at a brisk pace to enter lunch on 28/0 after five overs, but they soon started to lose interest, as the wicket continued to flatten under the baking sun in Manchester.

Extracting minimal assistance from the wicket meant that the Lancashire bowlers were finding it hard to strike a breakthrough, as Warwickshire's opening pairing of Varun Chopra and Andrew Umeed made a fifty-partnership for the second time in the match. However, like the first innings, this milestone signalled the loss of Warwickshire's first wicket, as Umeed flashed outside the off-stump, edging Kyle Jarvis (1-22) behind to Steven Croft at 52/1.

Bell survived the ignominy of recording golden ducks in both innings and he would prove to be the main port of resistance to Lancashire's victory bid. He and Chopra (48) added a further 32 runs before Matthew Parkinson (1-74) had the latter pinned on the crease with an enthusiastic lbw appeal, following his five-wicket haul in Warwickshire's first innings.

However, this was to be the final glimpse of success for Lancashire, as two former England internationals stood firm to resist the Red Rose onslaught to earn a draw by adding 111 runs for the third-wicket stand. Having endured long periods in the field, while three Lancashire batsmen notched up centuries, Warwickshire relished their opportunity to score some runs on an increasingly-friendly wicket.

Warwickshire's lack of interest in going for their target of 312 was typified by the fact that only one boundary was scored in the space of 28 overs in the afternoon session. As a consequence, the game started to lose its edge after three and a half days of brilliant viewing, with Bell and Trott plugging away to reach their fifties before finishing on 195/2, 117 runs short of their target.

Youngsters Parkinson and Hameed set up exciting final day against Warwickshire

Matthew Parkinson claimed 5-49 on his Lancashire debut to help the hosts take the upper hand in their Supersavers County Championship encounter with Warwickshire at Emirates Old Trafford.

On a memorable day for young talent, Lancashire seized a valuable 45-run lead after bowling Warwickshire out for 263, before Parkinson's England Under-19 colleague Haseeb Hameed battled hard for an unbeaten 81 from 223 balls, an innings that has so far lasted more than four hours.

Parkinson became the youngest player to take five wickets on their debut for the Red Rose and the first Lancashire spinner to take five wickets on his debut since Simon Kerrigan took 5-43 against the same opposition on the same ground in 2010. Hameed then spearheaded an attritional second innings, with his confidence and temperament providing Lancashire with the perfect foil against a tough Warwickshire attack on a tricky wicket.

Lancashire closed on 170/5 after Hameed and Liam Livingstone (39*) had added 66 runs for the sixth wicket to see the Red Rose to a valuable lead of 215 heading into an intriguing final day. Warwickshire's top order were indebted to a 125-run stand between Tim Ambrose (70*) and Keith Barker (64) for the seventh-wicket stand, before their bowlers fought hard to reduce their hosts to 104/5.

It was vital that Lancashire broke the partnership between Barker and Ambrose before it had chance to progress into threatening territory and it took an unplayable delivery from Tom Smith (3-30) to end their resistance. Smith forced Barker to edge behind to Steven Croft at 219/7, after Ambrose added to his overnight score of 48 to reach his half-century in 108 balls, with his ninth boundary taking him to this milestone.

Once the first wicket fell, Lancashire found life to be much easier, as Parkinson's introduction into the attack inspired the Red Rose to a hugely successful morning session. The wristy leg-spinner took three wickets in the space of 15 balls to wrap up the Warwickshire tail and leave Ambrose stranded.

First he had Jeetan Patel (19) caught smartly by Neil Wagner at short fine leg and then Parkinson set up the third hat-trick ball of the innings when Boyd Rankin was bowled first ball for nought. Oliver Hannon-Dalby survived the hat-trick ball, briefly denying Parkinson his maiden five-wicket haul on debut, but it didn't take the 19-year-old long to secure his fifth wicket.

Hanson-Dalby (6) was bowled through the gate to give Parkinson a debut to remember with the ball and if Lancashire go on to win this game, it is likely that the youngster will play a vital part in Warwickshire's run-chase. His efforts with the ball secured a buffer of 45 runs for Lancashire, vital runs in the context of a low-scoring game on a slow and sticky wicket, but the application of Hameed would prove to be decisive in helping the Red Rose to establish a lead in the hope of setting up a run-chase tomorrow.

Smith (19) and Hameed survived the six remaining overs before lunch, returning after the interval to negate a testing new-ball spell from Barker. Having seen the success of Lancashire's teenage prodigy, Patel was quick to get himself into the attack, but the far more experienced purveyor of the county scene found life much harder than Parkinson.

It might not have been the most attractive cricket ever witnesses at Old Trafford, but the determination and application demonstrated by Smith and Hameed represented a tremendous effort in helping Lancashire to extend their lead into a more threatening one. The opening batsmen added a fifty-partnership in 151 balls, but not long after reaching this stage Smith found his 85-ball marathon coming to an abrupt conclusion, as his attempted pull shot found the hands of Patel on the square leg boundary off the bowling of Rankin (1-27).

Luke Procter (21) provided ample support to Hameed's cause, helping Lancashire to reach tea on 77/1 with a healthy lead of 122 runs. The slow and steady approach was working wonders for the home side, but Procter's flashing drive after the interval caught the edge of his bat and flew to Varun Chopra at first slip off Barker (3-50).

This breakthrough signalled a mini collapse from Lancashire's top order, as three further wickets fell in the space of only five balls, with Warwickshire claiming four wickets for 17 runs after tea. In a game filled with twists and turns, Warwickshire needed a response after the interval to bring themselves back into contention and - as has often been the case in this game - wickets continued to fall in clusters.

Hameed progressed to his third half-century of the season in the four-day format in 129 balls, but his success was overshadowed, briefly, by the loss of three quick wickets. Alviro Petersen failed to utilise his vast experience to support the young opening batsman, adding only 5 runs to the total before chipping his drive to Rikki Clarke at extra cover off Barker.

Captain Croft followed up his century from the first innings with a golden duck when his thin edge flew through to Ambrose behind the stumps to give Barker his third wicket of the innings, setting up the fourth hat-trick ball of the match. Having slumped from 87/1 to 103/4, Lancashire then lost another of their dependable batsmen from the first innings when Karl Brown (1) flashed hard at a delivery from Patel (1-73), also edging behind to Ambrose.

Barker's lengthy spell eventually came to a conclusion, much to the relief of the Lancashire batsmen, as Livingstone welcomed Clarke into the attack with a huge six over mid-wicket to the third ball of his spell. Livingstone provided the perfect company to Hameed's patience, as he looked to play his shots and run positively between the wickets to turn singles into twos.

Every run became precious to Lancashire, knowing that they had to apply themselves if they had any intention of setting Warwickshire a daunting target on a testing wicket tomorrow morning. A brief delay for bad light did nothing to reduce the number of over left in the day and when Hameed returned to the crease, it was as if he'd never left.

There was just enough time for Hameed (81*) and Livingstone (39*) to progress to a fifty-partnership in 124 deliveries, as Lancashire closed on 170/5 with a lead of 215 runs, setting up an intriguing final day at Old Trafford in what has already proven to be a gripping and enthralling game of cricket.