Lancashire Lightning Vitality T20 Blast at Old Trafford Loss Report

COSTLY BUTTER-FINGERS AS LANCASHIRE TAKE THE BISCUIT

An unchanged Notts were beaten by a strong Lancashire team by 22 runs at sunny Old Trafford last night. The contest having two pivotal moments. Firstly Lancashire’s top scorer Daryl Mitchell (85 not out, 4x4 4x6) was dropped by McKerr on 7 after the Kiwi hit a Mullaney delivery to him on the long-on ropes but the easy chance went begging. Notts catching was vulnerable through the evening a total of four going down, including Mitchell being put down on 32 (a low-down chance to Mullaney) in is his follow-through) and on 79 (by Lyndon James on the running in from the square leg ropes). The second key moment came in the opening over of the reply when former Notts left-arm fast bowler Luke Wood detonated Hales’ stumps with a perfect yorker, the ball of the night. Despite the long boundaries it was another night for the batters as Phil Salt (34 off 24 balls), Luke Wells (38 off 23 balls) and Liam Livingstone (32 off 23 balls) supported Mitchell’s knock as the home team racked up 208-4 off their 20 overs taking advantage of the easy paced surface. The Notts reply featured a blistering 60 off 33 balls (4x4, 5x6) from Colin Munro, a cultured 41 off 26 balls (6x4) from Matt Montgomery and at the end a fighting 29-ball 41 run innings from Tom Moores. The match though was realistically over as a contest following Munro’s dismissal with Notts still requiring 123 off 11.2 overs.

Lancashire won the toss and elected to bat with the two Lancashire openers being former Sussex men. The crowd was a good one, no fireworks once more but the home authorities decided their was no need to erect an inane DJ booth. The first ball from Afridi (Statham End) was cover driven by Salt to the boundary ropes. Wells edged the fourth delivery of the over for four, 10 off the first over. McKerr bowled the second over, Wells hit him for an enormous six over mid-wicket. The next two deliveries went for four through long leg, 16 off the over. Salt hit Carter for a legside four, eight off the third over. Patel's first and third balls were hit to the cover ropes by Wells. Wells was then dropped on 30 by Mullaney at mid-off, the first of four drops by the Green and Gold on the night. The last ball of the Patel over was hit four by Salt through mid-off, 15 off the over. The 50 came up in the fifth over bowled by Afridi. Wells hit the Pakistani to the point ropes, 6 off the over. Wells (38) fell to catch by Moores off McKerr, the left-hander going for a leg-side hit only succeeding in getting a thin edge to the keeper, 56 for 1. Lancashire completed the power play on 58 for 1.

Mullaney conceded three off the 7th over. Salt hit Patel for 4 through extra cover. Croft (6) fell to catch at backward point by McKerr off a routine delivery by Patel, 70 for 2 off 8 overs. Salt cover drove Mullaney for a boundary, eight off the over. Mitchell hit Patel for 4 through extra cover. Two balls later, Salt (34) lost his leg stump to Patel after missing an ugly leg-side heave , 85 for 3. Eight off the tenth over.

Then followed the dramatic moment when Mitchell on 7 was dropped at long on by McKerr off Mullaney, to compel the felony the Surrey man allowed the spilled effort to go for four. The loanee possibly not helped by the setting sun but it was an easy chance that should have been taken but somehow eluded his grasp. The next ball was hit by Mitchell for 6 off long off, 12 off the over. Talk about rubbing salt in the wounds, despite Sussex and England man being dismissed the previous over!

James bowled the 12th over as Lancashire reached their 100, six off the over. Mitchell greeted the returning Carter (2 0 20 0) with a six over long on. Lancashire 117 for 3 off 13 overs. Livingstone hit James (2 0 17 0) to the extra cover ropes, 11 off the 14th over. Mitchell was dropped on 32 by Mullaney, a caught and bowled chance by his ankles, one of those that either stick or they don’t. But once again the next ball was hit for 6 over long on. Three balls later, Mitchell reverse swept Mullaney (4 0 36 0) for 4, 141 for 3 off 15 overs. Lancashire accelerated in the final five overs with the buccaneering Mitchell taking full advantage of his fortune taking centre stage as a further 67 runs were added.

Patel (4-0-41-2) conceded 9 off his last over as Mitchell reached his 50 off 26 balls. Livingstone hit McKerr, not having the best of nights, for a massive six over mid-wicket and three balls he hit for six over square leg, 15 plus a leg bye off the 17th over. Livingstone (32) fell to catch by Hales at long on off the returning Afridi, 167 for 4. Mitchell hit Afridi for 6 over square leg and next ball for a massive straight six, 16 off the over. Mitchell pulled McKerr (4-0-44-1) to the mid-wicket boundary, 10 off the 19th over. Mitchell scooped Afridi (4-0-47-1) for six over long leg. Mitchell was dropped on 79 by James running in from the point ropes, by then the damage had been real and truly been felt. Lancashire 208 for 4 off 20 overs. Mitchell who dominated the final half of the innings finished on 85 and de Grandhomme on 6. An over par score with home side hitting nine sixes, no Notts bowler being capable of stemming the run rate. Notts elected not to use Montgomery’s off spin, Mullaney only utilising six overs of spin whereas home skipper Livingstone had much more faith in his slow men who were to bowl 10 overs in the reply.

Luke Wood bowled the opening over from the Statham End and yorked Hales with a corker who departed for a two-ball duck, 1 for 1. Wood has become a real white ball specialist for the Red Rose after the Dof C decided to put his faith in the expensive purchase of the Chappell of rest. Two off the first over. Saqib Mahmood bowled the 2nd over, Munro hitting him for 4 through extra cover, 6 off the over. Clarke (2) miscued a short delivery from Wood to be caught at square leg by Bell, 8 for 2. Notts looked in dire trouble, but Munro and Montgomery played well to add 78 in the following 6.2 overs. Munro the veteran of hundred of franchise games, Montgomery impressing once again in only his second T20 appearance in the Thunderbird outfit.

Munro got going by hitting Wood for 4 through mid-off. Montgomery pulled Wood to the square leg ropes, 11 off the third over. Munro hit Mahmood for sixes over long leg and square leg. Notts 32 for 2 off 4 overs. Munro smashed Livingstone's first delivery for a straight six. Two balls later he hit for four through mid-off, 14 off the over. De Grandhomme bowled the last over of the powerplay, his only over of the Notts innings. Montgomery hit him for four through mid-off with nine runs being accrued. Notts 55 for 2 off 6 overs and fighting back.

Munro hit Livingstone for six over mid-wicket, 11 off the 7th over. Montgomery swept Parkinson for 4. Munro reached his 50 off 24 balls with a straight four off Parkinson. Notts 78 for 2 off 8 overs. Munro (60) hit Wells for a straight six, but miscued him with keeper Salt took the catch mid pitch having dashed from behind the stumps, 86 for 3 in the 9th over. Montgomery hit Hartley for a square leg for 4, 10 off the 10th over. Notts reached 100 in the 11th over following two offside fours by Montgomery, 11 off the over. Montgomery (41)was unfortunately run out, hitting the ball to Mitchell at long off there appeared to be an easy two but Moores inexplicably sent Montgomery back when he was already mid pitch going for two, 112 for 4 in the 12th over. The expensive Livingstone (4-0-45-0) conceded nine off the 13th over. Moores on 11 was dropped on the cover ropes by Croft off Hartley (2-0-21-0). Moores hit Hartley to the fine leg ropes and then next ball a boundary to square leg. Notts 133 for 4 off 14 overs. Wood returned for the 15th over and only conceded four singles. Notts now needed a very unlikely 72 off the final 5 overs

Moores hit Parkinson (3-0-29-0) for consecutive fours through mid-wicket and cover, 12 off the 16th over. Mullaney (19) hit three fours off four deliveries of the 17th over bowled by Mahmood. He edged the first delivery, top edged another four off the third ball, the next delivery went to the extra cover ropes but then fell to catch at mid-off by Livingstone, 161 for 5, 48 required off 19 balls. Wood (4-0-29-2), the best bowler on show, bowled the 18th over and opened with a no ball but despite James hit him for six over mid-wicket off the free hit only 12 runs were obtained. Notts 173 for 5 off 18 overs. Mitchell bowled the penultimate over, James finding the extra cover ropes but the Kiwi conceded only nine off the over. Mahmood (4-0-34-1) bowled the last over but with 27 needed Moores and James could only scamper four singles. Notts finishing on 186-5 with Moores on 41 and James on 16 and Patel now at number 8 bat never even reaching the crease. The run-fest had reached 394 runs for the loss of nine wickets.

Notts had fought hard but will regret their butter-fingered performance in the field against probably the best team in the group. MAG

Hot on the heels of last night's comfortable victory, Outlaws travel north to Manchester to take on, perhaps, the group favourites Lancashire Lightning.

The squad of fourteen remains the same:

Joe Clarke

Alex Hales 

Colin Munro 

Matt Montgomery

Tom Moores

Steven Mullaney

Lyndon James

Samit Patel

Matt Carter

Shaheen Afridi

Conor McKerr

Haseeb Hameed

Calvin Harrison

Jack Brooks