Jordan Clark hit 31 off 12 balls and Jos Buttler blasted 20 off nine deliveries to help Lancashire Lightning secure a thoroughly entertaining victory over Leicestershire Foxes in a rain-affected match at Emirates Old Trafford.
The Foxes hit 131/3 from 14 overs after persistent rain delayed the start of play, but Lancashire earned a nine-wicket win on D/L method with five balls to spare, as Clark and Buttler added 35 runs in 11 balls to help Lancashire chase a revised target of 74 from seven overs under lights.
Clark hit one four and three sixes in his superb innings as a makeshift opener, hitting his final maximum to take the hosts to victory off the first ball of the final over. Buttler made an immediate impression, coming in after Alviro Petersen had battled hard for 23 off 17 balls, hitting his first two balls for four and a six in the penultimate over.
Scoring 20 runs from the sixth over, Lancashire needed only three runs from the final six balls, with Clark taking the Lightning over the line with his third maximum. Mark Cosgrove had earlier underpinned Leicestershire's effort with the bat, top-scoring with 66 from 47 balls to help set Lancashire 132 from 14 overs.
Clark supported his heroics with the bat by conceding only 15 runs in his three overs with the ball, accounting for the dangerous Irishman, Kevin O'Brien, in the process. Arron Lilley was similarly economical, claiming 1-21 from three overs, as he removed captain Mark Pettini for 23 when he was caught behind by Buttler at 63/1.
The almost-unbearable conditions made fielding an unenviable task, with Lancashire dropping three catches to allow the visitors respite. Perhaps the most fatal of these missed opportunities came when Cosgrove was on 26, as the hard-hitting Australian was put down by Steven Croft off Stephen Parry in the deep. He went on to receive a further life on 46 when he was shelled by Brown and he capitalised on this by going on to record a half-century in 40 balls.
Umar Akmal received similar fortune when Wagner put him down at deep mid-wicket, but this drop did not prove too costly, as the Pakistan international was clean bowled by Croft soon after for 17, leaving Leicestershire on 93/2. O'Brien started brightly with successive boundaries, before Lilley held on to a good catch running in from deep long-on to give Clark a reward for his persistence with the ball.
Debutant Cameron Delport hit his second ball over the ropes, supporting Cosgrove to push Leicestershire's total to 131/3 after 14 overs. Lancashire had faced just eight balls in their run-chase before the umpires deemed conditions to be unsuitable to continue, a decision that caused frustration in the Lancashire dugout.
Rain had been falling for much of the first innings and it was therefore baffling that the umpires wanted to take the players off the field. Ashley Giles was understandably unhappy, knowing that the delay would only serve to aid Leicestershire's cause and when play resumed 9.25, Lancashire now needed to hit 63 from 34 balls.
Lancashire would go on to record a vital win with five of those deliveries in hand, but it was not always so comfortable. Clark's promotion to opener appeared to be paying off, but Lancashire continued to pick out the fielders, despite timing the ball impeccably. When Petersen (23) fell to a stunning catch at backward point by Lewis Hill, the hosts could call on one of the best finishers in world cricket, as Buttler strode to the crease with an aura of confidence.
He hit his first two balls for boundaries and a six in the penultimate over made the final over much more comfortable for Lancashire, allowing Clark to finish in style with a mammoth six off Ben Raine to secure a nine wicket win on D/L method.
No comments:
Post a Comment