Match Details
Chasing a challenging total of 180, the Lancashire Lightning were off to a rollicking start. George Bell and Luke Wells spearheaded the innings for Lancashire and went all guns blazing inside the powerplay. The left-handed Wells started the assault and was the primary aggressor in the partnership while Bell also cashed in on the looseners and kept the scorecard moving at a swift rate. The left-right duo orchestrated 59 runs for the opening stand before Zaman Khan dismissed Bell for 14(9).
Wells kept swinging his bat and propelled Lancashire’s score to a whopping 77/1 after the powerplay. Wells brought up his half-century in just 24 balls and he was ably supported by his skipper Steven Croft. The right-hander Croft continued the aggressive approach and kept finding the gaps before he was involved in an unfortunate mix-up and had to walk back for 11(7).
The experienced Daryl Mitchell then joined forces with Luke Wells and continued the onslaught. Wells aggregated a brilliant 66(35), which included 9 fours and 3 maximums to his credit. Zak Chappell ceased his progress as Well holed out in the deep. Mitchell then paired up with his New Zealand counterpart Colin de Grandhomme and stitched a 36-run partnership for the 4th wicket. The right-handed Mitchell failed to provide the finishing touches and returned to the pavilion for 31(18).Colin de Grandhomme accumulated 19(17) before the Pakistani pacer Zaman Khan had the woods over him. Lancashire did lose a few wickets at the backend but they always managed to keep the asking run rate under control. Rob Jones 21*(22) played a crucial knock and guided his team to a victory. Zaman Khan and Zak Chappell bagged a couple of wickets each while George Scrimshaw also extracted a wicket.
Earlier in the day, after being invited to bat first, the Derbyshire Falcons were off to a disastrous start as the left-armer Luke Wood trapped Haider Ali in front as the Pakistani opener had to walk back for a golden duck. Wayne Madsen, the next batter in, released the pressure straightaway by counterattacking and helped the Falcons secure 47 runs off the powerplay. The southpaw Luis Reece also used the pace of the ball really well and kept moving the scorecard.
The duo stitched a 64-run partnership for the second wicket before Tom Hartley halted their progress by outwitting Luis Reece 23(21). The right-hander Madsen registered a half-century but he was unable to carry the momentum forward and holed out in the deep for 50(35). The skipper Leus du Plooy batted assertively and secured a quick 33(16) before Danny Lamb outfoxed with a bouncer.