Hameed makes Lancashire debut on rain affected day

Lancashire handed a debut to 18-year-old Haseeb Hameed in wake of the announcement that veteran opening batsmen Paul Horton would not be offered a new contract for the 2016 season.

The Lancashire faithful didn’t have to wait long to get the first glimpse of their newest academy product. Captain Steven Croft won the toss in very overcast conditions and decided that his Lancashire team would bat first.

Hameed (28) opened the batting with Karl Brown (80*) in less than friendly conditions. The pair made slow but steady progress through the morning session. They were not given a fair chance to play themselves in fully due to continuous rain breaks.

Each delay lasted a relatively short time but would have been enough to disturb the rhythm. On one occasion the players hadn’t made their way off the pitch before they were being recalled to the middle.

Only 22 overs were bowled in the morning session and Lancashire found themselves 47/0 at the interval. Youngster Hameed had batted patiently for his 14 runs with Brown on 25.

Hameed was eventually the first man to go, he was trapped LBW to Graham Wagg (2-40) for 28 in the 37^th over. This brought Alviro Petersen (29) to the crease. Some of the Glamorgan bowlers will still be having nightmares about the last time they came up against Petersen in red ball cricket.

Fortunately for the travelling Glamorgan support they were able claim the wicket of Petersen relatively early in his innings. The South African batsmen who had already struck 6 boundaries in his 48-ball stay, attempted a drive in the penultimate over before the tea. He was only able to find Chris Cooke at short Cover, giving David Lloyd (1-32) his first wicket.

This wicket brought the other half of the Colwyn Bay double act to the wicket. Ashwell Prince joined Brown at the crease and the pair successfully negotiated the final few deliveries of the session. Lancashire went to tea with the scoreboard showing 126/2. Brown was still unbeaten on 60 with Prince 0*.

Brown had brought up his fifty in the afternoon session from 124 balls including 8 boundaries. His seventh of the first class season in only his twelfth innings.

Prince was finding runs hard to come by following the interval, having found the fielder on more than one occasion when he attempted his trade mark pick up through the leg side shot. This time the ball was only to find Will Bragg at mid-wicket from the bowling of Wagg. Prince’s stay had lasted 17-balls and had yielded only one scoring shot.

The wicket of Prince gave Glamorgan their first bowling point of the season against Lancashire. Having only picked up the wickets of Paul Horton and Karl Brown in the allotted 110 overs at Colwyn Bay.

Steven Croft (9*) joined Brown at the wicket in conditions that got gloomier by the minute. The floodlights had been on for most of the afternoon but were really starting to take effect when rain forced the players from the field.

No further play was possible due to mixture of bad light and steady drizzle.

Lancashire will resume their innings on day 2 with the score on 161/3 with Brown 80 and Croft 9 the not out batsmen, hoping that they can push on and gain some valuable batting points to confirm their promotion back to Division one next year.

Buttler and Prince Guide Lancashire to Finals Day.

Crucial knocks from Jos Buttler and Ashwell Prince proved pivotal in Lancashire's trumiph in tight finish at Canterbury.

Kent were bowled out for 142 after being inserted by the visitors, who made breakthroughs at regular intervals to limit the success of the side who finished top of the South Group.

James Tredwell led the Kent recovery, with his unbeaten 31 being the best score made by the home side after the hosts had slumped to 86/7.

The Kent off-spinner manufactured a 52-run stand with Fabian Cowdrey (27) but limited support from the top-order batsmen left Kent wanting more runs in order to prevent Lancashire from reaching a sixth Finals Day.

The Lightning needed to make early progress with a plethora of talented batsmen at Kent's disposal and early pressure through the lack of boundaries allowed Kyle Jarvis (2-23) to strike twice in successive deliveries to give Lancashire a strong start.

Karl Brown held a good catch to remove Daniel Bell-Drummond (8) in the fifth over and opening partner Joe Denly fell to the very next delivery when Jos Buttler took the catch behind the stumps, with these two wickets leaving Kent on 25/2.

Kent opener Daniel Bell-Drummond punches an earlier boundary for Kent.

The pairing of Kent skipper Sam Northeast and England hitter Sam Billings promised a great deal and they added 28 for the third wicket before Arron Lilley (2-21) struck with his first delivery. The off-spinner had Northeast out for 14 when the Kent captain was trapped lbw at 53/3 and the visitors had another wicket not long after this important scalp when a superb piece of relay fielding removed Darren Stevens cheaply.

Stevens, another potential match-winner in Kent's ranks, slashed a poor delivery from Parry (3-31) to the square-leg boundary and, although the ball seemed destined to clear the ropes, Lilley pushed the ball back to Brown with one hand, a stunning piece of fielding which left Kent on 58/4.

It proved to be impossible to keep Lilley out of the game and he claimed his second wicket when he had the big-hitting Alex Blake out lbw for two, a crucial wicket after he had hit 89 against Lancashire in the 50-over contest earlier this week.

Billings delivered on his recent one-day prowess, hitting the first six of the innings in the 13th over, before favouring the reverse-sweep for a boundary four soon after. However, it was this shot which resulted in his demise when he top-edged to Buttler, handing Parry his second wicket at 84/6.

A disastrous start was made even worse when another potentially destructive batsman in Matt Coles attempted to shift through the gears too quickly, picking out Alex Davies at long-off, as Parry struck his third blow after this reckless shot from Coles.

Kent were very much in danger of failing survive the full 20 overs, but Tredwell and Cowdrey combined superbly to give Kent a fighting chance. Their runs became more and more useful and a combined total of seven fours and one six between the two Kent batsmen allowed the hosts to post a competitive score.

Tredwell's innovation was the highlight of the partnership as the lower-order batsman hit James Faulkner (2-28) for six and then a four in consecutive deliveries. Kent may well have made more than 142 if Tredwell had been able to maintain more of the strike but he was left stranded on 31 not out as three wickets fell in the final over.

The first of these wickets was that of Cowdrey who departed for 27 when Faulkner reacted quickest to run out the young batsman, ending his stand with a Tredwell after the pair had added 52 runs for the eighth-wicket stand.

Mitchell Claydon fell next after edging his first ball for four he was then bowled by Faulkner. Ivan Thomas departed in similar fashion when he was bowled first ball by the Australian all-rounder, bringing the Kent innings to a close.

Lancashire started their innings with a wide ball from Coles a run that Kent could ill afford to give away given the way the innings would unfold.

Ashwell Prince (62) and Alex Davies (2) opened the batting for the Lightning and they soon found themselves one down. Davies who had struggled to beat the infield on numerous occasions was trapped LBW to Coles (3-22) attempting a scoop shot over the keepers head, leaving Lancashire 12/1 after 3 overs.

Karl Brown (1) joined Prince at the wicket but was soon making his way back to the pavilion having been bowled middle stump by slower leg cutter from Darren Stevens (1-20). At this stage Lancashire were 35/2 and Prince had contributed 29 of the runs in what was to prove a crucial innings.

Liam Livingstone (12) was the next man to join Prince. The pair added 22 runs before Tredwell (1-28) trapped the former LBW.

With the score on 57/3 in the 10^th over Kent fans started to believe that they were in the game, until Jos Buttler (53) was seen to be the new man making his way the crease. Buttler was soon showing why he is considered one of the best T20 players striking the final ball of the 10^th over for a maximum.

Prince and Buttler added 73 runs for the 4^th wicket partnership in which Prince brought up his 4^th fifty of the campaign from 40 balls including 5 boundaries and 1 maximum.  This partnership was to form the backbone of the reply taking the score all the way to 130/4.

Prince was eventually caught in the deep by Denly from the bowling of Claydon. Not before he had escaped what seemed a very good run out appeal from Thomas (0-26) who claimed to have deflected the ball back onto the stumps at the non strikers end with Prince clearly short of his ground. The TV replays were not conclusive enough to give the wicket.

The Prince wicket sparked set the way for a domino effect that would again give the home support something to cheer. Steven Croft (4) joined Buttler at the crease with 13 runs needed from 11 deliveries thanks to another boundary to Buttler this was reduced to 6 runs from the final over.

The boundary also marked Buttler’s 2^nd fifty in as meaning appearances for Lancashire in this years completion. Coming from only 36 balls with 5 boundaries and 3 huge sixes.

The final over was to give both sets of supporters a rollercoaster of emotion. Croft managed a single from the first ball from Coles, this brought Buttler onto strike. Buttler decided that he wanted to end the game with one blow however he found Alex Blake at long-on the batsmen had crossed meaning James Faulkner (4*) joined Croft at the non strikers end. Croft too decided he wanted to win the game with a maximum but followed the example set by Buttler, he holed out to Cowdrey on the deep extra cover boundary. Bringing Arron Lilley (0*) to the wicket at the non-strikers end.

With this the home fans sensed that something magical could be happening Lancashire still needed 5 runs to win and only had 3 balls to get them. The only thing standing between them and an unlikely victory was ‘The Finisher’. Faulkner swung viscously at his first ball, which went straight through to Billings behind the stumps. The penultimate delivery was carved into the leg side and both Faulkner and Lilley sprinted two.

At this point the Northeast appeared to check with the umpires what would happen in the event of a tie. He seemingly wasn’t aware that the fact Kent had lost all 10 wickets meant they could only afford to concede a single. With this news the Kent skipper signaled his deep fielders on the leg side to come up and protect the second run.

The final ball of the game was hit straight back down the ground to long on, the fielder had to move just far enough to his left that the Lancashire pair had time to scamper back for two.

The game was tied 142-all out to Kent and 142-6 to Lancashire. But the Lancashire dugout were able to celebrate the victory on virtue of losing fewer wickets.

Sky Sports Man of The Match Jos Buttler being
interviewed by Nick Knight after the game.

Shortly after the game the draw for T20 finals day was made. Lancashire Lightning will meet the Hampshire Hawks in a repeat of last years semi-final, which was won by Lancashire. With the possibility of a repeat of last years final on the cards with Birmingham Bears meeting the Northants Steelbacks in the other game to be played at Edgbaston on August 29^th.

Preview: Kent Spitfires v Lancashire Lightning Natwest T20 Blast Quarter-Final

Jos Buttler is available for selection in Lancashire's Natwest T20 Blast quarter-final against Kent Spitfires at Canterbury this Friday. 

Lancashire enter this important fixture having beaten the same opposition on this ground in the Royal London One Day Cup by 51 runs after Liam Livingstone's impressive List A debut. The explosive batsman scored 91 as he salvaged a disappointing start in his 110-run partnership with captain Steven Croft. 

These two sides have never met in the Twenty20 competition before, but it is fair to say that this game will be entertaining and close, if the pedigree of Kent and Lancashire is anything to go by. Kent stormed the South Group without the assistance of any overseas players, earning a home quarter-final after finishing top of their group. Lancashire scraped through to the knockout stages on virtue of a superior net run rate, but a win against the Spitfires would secure a sixth Finals Day for the side who is yet to win the competition. 

Lancashire appear to have secured promotion to the first division in the four-day game, while their victory at Canterbury in the 50-over contest resurrected their hopes for reaching the quarter-finals after a disappointing start to the campaign. Kent, on the other hand, would argue that the T20 is the format which they have the best chance of succeeding in and so they will be aiming to continue their ruthless form having lost only 4 games in the group stages.  

Key Players: 

Sam Northeast has been a breakthrough success for his county this season. The Kent one-day skipper continues to lead the way with impressive performances and his accumulation of 627 runs at an average of 52.25 was imperative to his side's progression to the quarter-finals. 

Jos Buttler may not always be available for Lancashire due to his central contract with the national team, but when he does play for the Red Rose he demonstrates an array of talent befitting of an Ashes winner. 

When he featured for Lancashire against Yorkshire at Headingley, his innings of 71 not out guided Ashley Giles' side to victory from a seemingly dank position, smashing five sixes in his explosive knock. 

Team News:
Kent squad: TBC

Lancashire squad: TBC


Match Information: 

Weather and conditions: 

Ground: Canterbury

Start time: 2.30pm

Umpires: TBC

Match odds (SkyBet): Kent 8/11, Lancashire 11/10

Livingstone knock keeps Lancashire hopes alive

Lancashire have kept alive their hopes of reaching the Quarter-Finals of this years Royal London Cup  with a 51 run victory over Kent at Canterbury. 

Lancashire made a slow start to their innings having been inserted by Kent. Matt Coles (4-34) and Matthew Hunn (2-40) making early inroads to the Lancashire top order.

The first man to go was Ashwell Prince (4) who guided a Coles delivery to James Tredwell at second slip with the score on 7. Karl Brown (1) was the next wicket to fall becoming Coles second victim, this time Sam Billings taking the catch leaving the visitors on 8-2 after 5.2 overs.  Alviro Petersen (10) and Steven Croft  (53) then batted steadily for 5 overs to rebuild the innings when the introduction of Hunn to the attack saw the back of Petersen. He was caught by a stunning diving catch down the leg side by Billings the score was now 26-3.

The fourth wicket stand for Lancashire was to prove the foundation that the remainder of the innings was built upon.  Croft and Liam Livingstone (91) making his first appearance in this years Royal London Cup added 110 runs in 21.5 to take the Lightning from 26-3 to 136-4. Livingstone made the Kent bowlers pay for a dropped chance on the boundary by Joe Denly when he was on 34. The partnership was eventually broken when Croft was caught superbly by Darren Stevens at point from the bowling of Hunn. Croft had middled the delivery and Stevens threw out his right hand plucking the ball from mid air.

Lancashire continued to score at a good rate through the middle overs as Alex Davies (57) joined Livingstone who was continuing his good form following scores of 142, 118, 71 and 162 for Nantwich and Lancashire 2^nd XI this week. Livingstone was eventually out with the score on 206, caught and bowled by Stevens attempting a ramp shot. His innings had consisted of 6 fours and 3 sixes from 88 balls. 

James Faulkner (4) joined Alex Davies at the crease, with the Lancashire wicket keeper starting to find to ropes at regular intervals. He brought up his fifty from 35 balls with 8 boundaries. Faulkner who had taken a dozen balls to play himself in, was then trapped by Coles with the score on 225-6. Davies followed shortly after holing out in the deep to Fabian Cowdrey off the bowling of Stevens (2-58).

The loss of these wickets then applied the breaks to the Lancashire innings with Jordan Clark (11) and Stephen Parry (2) at the wicket with the score on 231-7 with 5 overs still to be bowled. 

Parry was caught by Billings off the bowling of Coles, becoming his fourth victim, with the score on 237-8.  Kyle Jarvis (7*) then joined Clark at the wicket, the pair kept the scoreboard ticking over with singles until Clark attempted to hit Mitchell Claydon (1-38) back over his head only to find Coles at long-off. Gavin Griffiths (5) joined Jarvis at the wicket as the pair added 10 runs from the remaining deliveries.  Setting the Kent Spitfires 259 for victory.

The Kent reply started off badly losing Joe Denly from the bowling of Jarvis (1-32) without troubling the scorers, Kent found themselves 6-1 in the third over.  However opening Partner Daniel Bell-Drummond (30) and Kent skipper Sam Northeast (36) got the innings back on track sharing a 53 run partnership for the second wicket. Bell-Drummond was the second man to go when he was bowled by a Clark (2-27) yorker with the score on 59-2.

Billings (8) joined Northeast at the wicket but only lasted 8 balls before he was caught by Croft from the bowling of Parry (3-60). Stevens (2) was the next man in but it wasn’t long before the Lightning had their next wicket. This time it was Northeast who edged behind to Davies from the bowling of Clark.

The next wicket came from the very next delivery when new man to the crease Cowdrey (0) pushed a ball to at Mid-on and set off for a single, only to find himself stood next to Stevens at the non strikers end while Davies removed his bails. The Kent innings was starting to fall apart with the board showing 87-5 and it wasn’t long before things looked even worse, loosing veteran all-rounder Stevens 3 overs later.

Coles (10) came to the crease to join up with Alex Blake (89) and the pair started to swing their bats with some useful results. Coles was the next man to go trying to pull Faulkner (2-50) through the leg-side but the ball got big on him and ballooned to Jarvis at Mid-on. James Tredwell was the next man to join the settled Blake at the crease with the score at 119-7.  Blake continued to play his shots and was finding the boundaries with ease until another mix up allowed Petersen his second run out, this time Tredwell the man to go leaving Kent on 143-8 requiring a further 116 runs with their last 2 wickets.

Blake took this as his cue to ‘tee off’ against the Lancashire bowling attack realising that he was going to run out of partners. Claydon had mostly watched as Blake scored the runs when he decided to smash a delivery from Parry straight back at him for a sharp catch. This brought Hunn to the wicket with Kent still 97 runs off their target. Blake continued to strike some devastating blows to all parts of the ground as the Lancashire fielders scattered to the boundaries in hope of a miss timed shot.

Blake and Hunn shared a partnership worth 45 for the final wicket with Hunn contributing only 5. Blake was eventually the last man to go when he swung across the line to a Faulkner delivery that bowled him. Not before he had struck 5 fours and 7 sixes in his 56 ball innings.

This gave Lancashire a 51 run win and keeps alive their hopes of gaining a top 4 spot in Group B of this years Royal London One Day Cup. They will take on Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl a week on Monday in another must win game.