v Worcs (T20 match 1)
First match of the season at Floodlit Old Trafford. Lancashire won the toss and chose to bat with Makram & Brown opening the innings. Brown got off the mark with a 6 over cover and after being dropped 2nd ball high at slip began to find his fluency along the ground. At the end of the power play Lancashire had reached 47 with few other chances offered. Brown (27) hit a towering six straight down the ground but was soon caught LBW playing a ball that moved off the pitch.
Jennings, demoted to three, was caught first ball for a duck and despite slapping Moeen Ali (1-37) around the ground a few times, Makram chipped tamely to mid on for 52(39 balls) in the 10th over to leave Lancs at 87-3 at the half way stage. Livingstone (33) pushed on the scoring rate but wickets continued to fall at the other end. The long Lancashire tail didn't deviate from their pro active shot making but the last over from Leach (0-22) yeileded only 2 runs which meant the batting side stuttered to 172-6 in their allocated overs.
In reply, Worcester struggled with the accuracy of Clarke (2-32) and Bohannon (3-25) both openers flashing to a well placed slip inside Clarke's first over. With only 43 in the power play, Guptill went on the attack and survived two good LBW shouts to keep the chase in the balance. When Lancashire switched to spin, Worcester played intelligently and fluently forcing the return of the key pace bowlers. This proved 3rd time unlucky for Guptil as he fell LBW for a key 77 (42) and then Ferguson chipping to mid on for 37 (32) to give Lancashire a way back into the innings.
With overs to find from the expensive attack, the ball was thrown to off spinner Croft (1-10, whose first over accounted for Ali (11) via a run out then new man Banard LBW for 0. When Faulkner (3-20) bowled the 18th Over, he dismissed the remaining 3 tail enders in four balls and secure a nervy victory for the Red Rose.
Lancashire (2pts) Bt Worcestershire by 17 runs MOTM Faulkner (27* & 3-20)
v Derby (T20 Match 2)
One change for Lancashire with Jennings rested and England fringe player Davies brought in at 3. After winning the toss, a gritty power play could only give Lancashire 34 runs despite questionable fielding from Derbyshire. At 10 overs the batsemen had still encountered few problems and had more than doubled the score inside 4 overs. The wheels then fell off for Lancashire, with Brown (37) and Makram (36) falling in consecutive overs with the runs only at 84 with 5 overs remaining. Davies justified his selection and hammered 32 off 20 to offer some hope to the end total, and Croft (32 off 12) threw caution to the wind when he arrived at the crease. Lancashire managed to post 151 when the innings ended, which they would consider below par.
Derbyshire started poorly, with a run out off the 3rd ball thanks to brilliant fielding at point but Slater made up for his error in hammering 18 off Clarke's opening over. The pace man persisted and was rewarded with an edge to a brave short leg who clung on and remove the opener for 42(29). At the Power play end, Derby had 54 runs and were looking good for the chase.The spinners bowled inconsistently, and Derby were 82 at the half way point, but for the loss of 5 wickets. When Faulkner returned to finish his allocation, they had slipped to 116-8 thanks to Parry (4-25) but with the dangerous Wilson at the crease. Derbyshire were ahead as they had been for the whole of their innings. Needing 15 from 12 off the front line pace bowlers, Wilson (46 off 28) offered a dolly catch leaving the last pairing to score the remaining runs. It wasn't to be, and Ferguson fell LBW and Derby fell 13 runs short.
Lancashire (2pts) BT Derbyshire by 13 runs MOTM PArry (4-25)
v Worcs (T20 match 3)
Lancashire again won the toss and opted to bring in fast bowler Mahmood in place of spinner Liley, an unusual move on a home pitch. Despite losing Makram 2nd ball, Lancashire recovered to 48-1 inside the power play, a trend for their current innings structures. Brown was yorked LBW for a fluent 31 (20) but the runs continued to 83 at the half way point. The introduction of spin brought about some half chances but Livingstone (42) & Davies (62*) compiled a record partnership v Northants in T20 cricket of 73. After this, the innings stalled and with Steve Croft (8 from 15) unable to get going Lancashire could only post 147-3.
With Lancashire pitching the ball up, and beating the bat, inside the power play they stumbled to 39-3. Keeping the slip in play, overseas star Faulkner once again bowled with accuracy and hostility, But his introduction combined with the arrival of spin did nothing to quench an ever increasing rate of runs scoring. The baffling single over from part timer Livingstone cost 14 runs and left only 43 required from only 42. The swashbuckling Newton had little trouble in finishing his assault on the bowlers with 68 off just 35 balls to consign the red rose to their first defeat of the campaign.
Northamptonshire bt Lancashire by 5 wickets MOTM Newton.
v Derbyshire (Match 4)
Change of keeper for this match with the inconsistent Vilas rested as 5th Places Lancashire look to increase their scoring rate and keep up with the group. Lancashire won the toss and opted to bat first.
At the end of the power play Lancashire had brought the 50 up for just the loss of Makram (10 off 10). Davies (18) ran himself out running for an impossible 2nd run but Livingstone and Brown (31 off 25) kept up the pressure and advanced Lancashire to 95 at the half way point. Livingstone (43 off 32) ran out Croft (12) needlessly as Derbyshire clawed back the run rate into single figures. A couple of lusty blows from the all rounders pulled Lancashire back up to 162-7.
In reply Derbyshire started by putting the red rose bowlers under pressure with some well thought out aggressive batting. At the end of the power play they had raced to 62 chanceless runs with all their wickets intact.
Lancashire's bowling was at best wayward and at worst atrocious as a mixed bag of long hops and full tosses was sent down for the batsmen to feast on. Faulkner eventually struck in the 11th Over as McLeod was trapped LBW (40 off 35) but with only 50 runs left to get from the remainder of the lineup. There were never enough runs to defend at this stage and the away side took home the spoils in emphatic fashion - Critchely ending on 95* off only 53 balls backed up by Masden (28 off 16) with just under three overs to spare.
Derbyshire bt Lancashire by 9 wickets MOTM Critchley
v Leicestershire (Match 5)
With the campaign floundering, Lancashire travelled to Grace road to play the top of the table team. With Makram selected by SA, Parkinson returned from international duty and Lancashire chose to ring the changes. Makram, Mahmood, Parry and Clark made way for Jones, Bailey, Mennie and Parkinson.
Lancashire opted to bowl after winning the toss on a pitch which offered something for the quicker bowlers. More inaccurate bowling from the attack allowed more free scoring from the batting side, including 26 from the 6th over off Bailey to give them 70-0 in the power play. Parkinson entered the fray and accounted for Delport (53 off 21) caught behind with his 2nd ball but it did nothing to stem the flow of runs. Once again Lancs were unable to pull the scoring rate back, and although Faulkner eventually bowled Ackerman for 74 (off 47) and then Carberry first ball, the damage had already been done. Another disasterous over from Bailey went for 16 and allowed Leicestershire to hammer their way to 194-5.
It was always going to be a tough ask for a lineup lacking a key performer in the Lancashire side. Brown fell off the first ball of the innings caught in the deep but Lancashire maintained 11 RPO in the early stages. At the end of the power play they sat at only 60 and had lost 3 wickets. Despite regular boundaries from Davies and Croft Lancashire still looked in trouble. When the partnership was ended with the departure of Croft (36 off 22) after 65 runs the new arrivals struggled to support Davies. This left too much to do as the innings predictably fell away. When Davies tamely hung his bat out in surrender (72 off 37) it was all over with 3 overs to spare.
A third defeat in a row leaves Lancashire in freefall in 7th place and the club devoid of ideas.
Leicestershire BT Lancashire by 40 runs MOTM Ackerman
v Yorkshire (Match 6)
For the roses clash Lancashire recalled the experienced Vilas and stuck with the line up that lost the previous match so comprehensively. It was up to the bowlers to put on a show as the Red rose lost the toss. It was very much back to basics for Lancashire with more orthodox fielding and a more accurate line early on. Strike Bowler Baily reaped the rewards bagging three early wickets, though Kane Williamson continued to score freely at the other end. Yorkshire had stuttered to 49-4 inside the powerplay and consolidation was required. The choice was made to bowl Bailey out and his last over proved expensive (18) to dent his figures to 4-0-40-4.
Parkinson proved expensive but did manage to buy the wicket of Irish international O'brien (24 off 21) whilst Faulkner tied up the other end. Williamson continued to cause problems for the bowlers. Mennie (2-28) bagged 2 wickets in the 19th over as well as keeping Williamson off strike before Bohannon bagged a wicket maiden in the 20th. Williamson was left stranded on 93 (off 45) at the top of the order and the white rose stalled on 156-8 from their 20 overs.
Under lights and with the ball seemingly moving, Lancashire lost opener Jones early on flashing needlessly to slip. It was the introduction of spin from both ends inside the powerplay which accounted for a typical Lancashire struggle. ending it on 43-3 in very similar fashion to the away side's innings. And the wickets continued to tumble to the spinners despite Davies living a charmed life.
In partnership with Faulker, the innings got back on track, with their partnership of 63 becoming the highest in T20 v Yorkshire and the threat of the spinners subsiding as rafiq bowled out taking 3-29). Davies (48) fell to an LBW which was missing leg stump and left the newcomers 45 inside the last 5 overs to win. When Faulkner missed a straight ball it was all left to the bowlers. Although Bailey struck some powerful blows, Mennie shouldered arms to edge behind and then Parkinson got his legs in the way to be trapped on the crease. Once again it was all over.
A much improved performance but still another defeat, were it not for the brilliance of Williamson it could have been very different.
Yorkshire bt Lancashire by 16 runs MOTM Williamson