With three games remaining in Lancashire's Twenty20 schedule, the reigning champions know that they will have to win all three matches to stand any chance of reaching the quarter finals, a run that begins against Leicestershire Foxes at Grace Road on Friday.
Lancashire's six-wicket defeat against Derbyshire Falcons on Wednesday resigned Ashley Giles' side to second-bottom in the North Group despite Alviro Petersen's innings of 79 from 49 balls, with the hosts reaching victory with eight balls to spare.
While Derby did wonders for their slim chances of qualifying for the knockout stages, Lancashire's defeat means that they are only one more away from failing to defend their title, a position that will hand the Lightning all the incentive they need come Friday evening. One of Lancashire's four group victories came in the reverse fixture against the Foxes in a rain-affected encounter at Old Trafford. On that occasion Jos Buttler (20 off 9) and Jordan Clark (31 off 12) were the heroes, as the hosts won by nine wickets on D/L.
However, Lancashire have continued to be inconsistent in this campaign, with their last two matches typifying their title defence. At Worcester, a belligerent opening stand between Petersen and Buttler allowed Lancashire to score 98/1 in the first six overs, with the latter hitting a record-breaking 20-ball fifty to help the visitors win by seven wickets against the Rapids.
Following Buttler's subsequent injury during that game, however, Lancashire failed to make the most of Petersen's form with the bat - having hit 196 runs in his last four innings in the T20 Blast - losing their last six wickets for ten runs in 15 balls to offer the Falcons a route back into the game.
 |
| Alvio Petersen has scored 196 runs in his last four Twenty20 innings for Lancashire. |
Lancashire can take solace from the fact that they come up against the only side to have fared worse this season in the T20 Blast, a Leicestershire side that has won this tournament more times than any other county since it arrived in 2003. The Foxes have managed only one win in their last eight matches this season, although three of those have washed out, including their most recent fixture against Nottinghamshire Outlaws that was schedule to take place on Tuesday.
The other reassuring item to note is that Lancashire have only lost once at Grace Road in the Twenty20 format, their very first trip to Leicester back in 2003. Since then, Lancashire have dominated the meeting at the Fischer County Ground, although the Foxes were responsible for eliminating the current champions at Finals Day in 2011 in a super over at Edgbaston.
This could be the first time that Paul Horton features against Lancashire, having switched to Leicestershire after 12 seasons at Old Trafford, with a plethora of overseas talent bolstering the Foxes' side. Clint McKay was among the leading wicket-takers in the Australian Big Bash over the winter, while Farhaan Behradien offers an all-round threat for the hosts in a must-win game for both sides.
Tom Moores continues behind the stumps for the Lightning in the absence of Buttler (thumb) and Alex Davies (knee), with Lancashire and their upcoming four-day opponents, Durham, both facing a sizeable distance for the game at Southport on the back of their respective 6.30 starts in the Blast. The Championship match at Trafalgar Road on Saturday will start at midday to help accommodate the late finish on Friday evening.
Leicestershire 13-man squad: Mark Pettini (c), Mark Cosgrove, Cameron Delport, Farhaan Behardien, Paul Horton, Luke Wells, Michael Burgess (wk), Ben Raine, Rob Taylor, Clint McKay, Rob Sayer, Richard Jones.
Lancashire 14-man squad: Steven Croft (c), Karl Brown, Nathan Buck, Jordan Clark, George Edwards, Arron Lilley, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood, Tom Moores (wk), Stephen Parry, Alviro Petersen, Luke Procter, Luis Reece, Tom Smith.
No comments:
Post a Comment