A dramatic finish in the last NatWest T20 Blast quarter-final saw Lancashire Lightning go through by virtue of losing fewer wickets.
With five runs needed off the last five balls, Matt Coles had Jos Buttler caught down the ground and then Steven Croft at cover, before twos from James Faulkner off the final two deliveries put Lancashire level.
Lancashire reached their sixth Finals Day, where they will play Hampshire, and the defending champions, the Birmingham Bears, will take on Northamptonshire Steelbacks.
It should not have been this close. Opener Ashwell Prince batted into the 19th over, scoring 62 off 50 balls. Buttler an excellent 53, featuring five fours and three sixes. Unfortunately for the England keeper, who was given the man-of-the-match award, was unable to see his side home, although he was fortunate to not be adjudged lbw first ball when caught on the back foot by James Tredwell.
On a pitch that offered something for the bowlers, Coles (three for 22) and Darren Stevens (one for 20) varied their pace well to keep scoring rate down. The hosts, however, will rue a batting effort that saw their youthful top order choked by Lancashire’s relentless effort in the field and neat bowling changes.
Sam Northeast, the competition’s second top-scorer, was restricted to 14 off 12 balls. A solid opening partnership between Daniel Bell-Drummond and Joe Denly was stopped by Kyle Jarvis, who removed both in consecutive balls in the fifth over, with the score on 25.
Sam Billings and Stevens then looked to push the scoring on, only for Stevens to fall to one of the catches of the season. Hitting a full-toss from Stephen Parry to the shorter, leg-side boundary, Arron Lilley ran and jumped from the edge of the outfield to catch one-handed then, before returning to the ground, relayed the ball to Karl Brown, who took a simple catch just a few feet away. While the dismissal read “Brown”, Lilley ensured his name was still present on the scorecard by trapping Northeast and Alex Blake lbw to take two for 21.
Parry led the way with three for 31, following the wicket of Stevens with Billings caught by Buttler off a top-edged sweep then Matt Coles caught in the deep by Davies.
A competitive score was reached as James Tredwell (31no) and Fabian Cowdrey (27) put on 52 for the eighth wicket. But Faulkner, who was hit for 18 by Tredwell in an over, bowled Mitchell Claydon and Ivan Thomas with the last two balls of the innings. Then, with the final two balls of the match, he won it.
