Lancashire Lightning 181/4-179/7 Notts Outlaws (T20 Blast North Group) 19.06.22
It was another disappointing loss for the Nottinghamshire cricketers as they went down to North Group leaders Lancashire in the latest round of Vitality Blast twenty20 matches.
Batting first after being put in, in a day game, the Outlaws saw opener Alex Hales blast off early with consecutive hits of six, four, and six, before being caught off the next delivery by Tom Bailey. Joe Clarke (6) followed next over, before the in-form Ben Duckett again impressed with 29 off 21 balls, with the fifty arriving in the sixth over.
Samit Patel (45 off 36 balls, three fours and one six), then saw the hundred come up in the 12th over, and skipper Dan Christian (30 not out off 14 balls, two fours and two sixes), continued the momentum, as Notts eventually totalled a respectable 179 for 7 in their 20 overs. They lost three wickets for six runs towards the third quarter of the innings, before smashing 44 off the final three overs with Calvin Harrison making a useful 17 off 11 balls.
Notts captured two wickets in the space of five deliveries as the Lightning reached 31 in the fifth over. However, a partnership of 114 in 10.2 overs between veteran Steven Croft and captain Dane Vilas helped the home side virtually to the winning line. When Vilas was dismissed for 55 off 30 balls (seven fours and two sixes), only 35 were needed off 33 balls.
Croft finished with an unbeaten 61 off 44 balls, and with Luke Wells coming in and hitting 18 off 11 balls, Lancashire won easily by six wickets with ten balls to spare. Dane Paterson captured two wickets, but with five bowlers conceding more than ten an over, the Outlaws were never in the hunt.
It was a bad day at the seaside for the county, with a quarter-final place in the next round now looking a distant possibility. They are still on seven points from nine games, but are eight points behind the top placed team with only one game in hand on the main sides above them.
*Article provided by Hitesh Darji (Cricket Correspondent)
*Main image @TrentBridge a stunning day in Blackpool but not so great for Notts.
