Lancashire suffer tense defeat to Yorkshire in T20 thriller

Lancashire Lightning lost by five runs at Headingley in an incredibly tense NatWest T20 Blast match against Roses rivals Yorkshire Vikings despite a flourish of sixes from Liam Livingstone.

Chasing 142 to win under lights, Lancashire were bowled out for 136 inside 18 overs after Livingstone hit 36 from 18 balls, including three consecutive sixes. In a game reduced to 18 overs per side due to persistent rain before the start of play, Lancashire put Yorkshire into bat and the hosts posted 141/7.

Nathan Buck (3-25) had another memorable day with the ball to take his tally to ten wickets in three Twenty20 matches this season, but Steven Patterson (3-23) led a strong bowling performance from Yorkshire, inflicting Lancashire's fifth defeat in nine matches this campaign, while Yorkshire collected only their second win of the tournament.

Livingstone's three maximums in as many deliveries tilted the game in Lancashire's favour, but when he and Steven Croft (5) fell in consecutive balls in the same over, it put a huge dent in the Lightning's run-chase. A spirited effort from Stephen Parry - who hit 15 off 9 balls - took Lancashire to within six runs of an unlikely victory, but the reigning champions fell short of their target of 142.

There were no outstanding contributions with the bat for Yorkshire, but instead a host of cameos. Opener Adam Lyth backed up his century against Lancashire in the 50-over competition with back-to-back sixes off Jordan Clark in the second over, profiting 21 runs to give Yorkshire a fast start in the five-over powerplay. 

Buck's phenomenal run in white-ball cricket continued when he had Lyth caught well by Luke Procter for 23 off 14 balls and he had Yorkshire's other opening batsman out in the same over, as Alex Lees drove into the hands of Livingstone for 5 at 32/2. Two wickets in the space of three balls allowed Lancashire to drag it back after an explosive start and the rotation of the bowlers kept Yorkshire's batsmen guessing.

Jack Leaning featured strongly for the hosts, hitting a brisk 29 including a maximum off Croft, but Clark struck a breakthrough with his first ball of a new spell, deceiving Leaning with a slower-ball yorker at 76/3. New Zealand's Kane Williamson then added 28 off 22 deliveries before Parry (1-21) had him bowled with his left-arm spin.

George Edwards (2-24) claimed the first of two quick wickets when he made amends for a misfield that went for a boundary, removing Tim Bresnan (5) cheaply with the first ball of a new spell. The dangerous all-rounder was caught well on the boundary by Clark and Buck's re-introduction signalled another breakthrough, this time the huge wicket of Gary Ballance for 12 when he was held by Alviro Petersen in the deep at 116/6.

Andrew Hodd (2) repeated Bresnan's dismissal when he was caught at long-on by Clark off Edwards, as Yorkshire posted 141/7 after 18 overs courtesy of Will Rhodes' unbeaten 24 from 15 deliveries. Petersen (15) relieved some of the early pressure with a maximum off Bresnan in the third over, but Clark fell for 9 when Lyth held on to a brilliant diving catch at fine leg, the first of three wickets for Patterson.

Rhodes backed up his strong performance with the bat when he struck a blow with only his second ball, as Petersen picked out Leaning on the leg-side boundary at 26/2. Karl Brown offered Lancashire a strong conclusion to the powerplay, thumping Rhodes for a four and then a six over square-leg, but the Yorkshire spinners kept it tight and pressure started to build on the visitors.

This pressure began to take its toll and Brown became the third Yorkshire wicket when he was bowled by Azeem Rafiq (1-20) attempting to sweep the spinner after two tight overs from him and Karl Carver (2-34). Livingstone, who hit a 21-ball fifty when the sides met earlier this season at Old Trafford, attempted to deliver another match-winning innings for the Red Rose across the Pennines, with his three sixes in a row off Carver putting Lancashire in the driving seat.

Having hit the spinner for three sixes off the first three balls of the over, Lancashire failed to resist temptation, as a great over became a disappointing one. First, the skipper Croft (5) was caught by Leaning off Carver attempting to repeat Livingstone's exploits and then Livingstone fell the next ball for 36 off 18 balls, with Ballance holding onto the catch on the leg-side boundary. 

Arron Lilley (2) followed cheaply to Rhodes, with Carver following up his two important wickets with a catch on the boundary at 92/6, as Lancashire lost their third wicket for five runs in the space of nine balls. Rain started to come down hard at Headingley, but the umpires decided to let the game continue, meaning that Lancashire kept half an eye on Duckworth Lewis in the closing stages of their run-chase.

Luke Procter hit Bresnan for a straight boundary, but fell the next ball for 16 when he picked out Carver on the leg-side fence at 112/7. Tom Moores (9) repeated the fate when he hit Patterson for a boundary before hauling out to Lyth at long-off and Bresnan then had Buck out for no score when he too was held by Lyth.

Two late boundaries for Parry took Lancashire within touching distance of what would have been a vital victory, but Patterson returned to claim his third wicket when he had Parry caught behind for 15.