MATCH PREVIEW: Lancashire Lightning v Worcestershire Rapids
The Lightning are hoping it’s a case of, ‘Oh, I do love to be beside the seaside’ when they travel to Blackpool bidding to end a four-game losing streak.
Lancashire Lightning v Worcestershire Rapids
Vitality Blast, North Group
Wednesday June 7, 2023, 5pm
Blackpool Cricket Club, Stanley Park
It has been a week-and-a-half the Red Rose would rather forget, with defeats on the road coming against Birmingham, Yorkshire, Durham and Nottinghamshire, the latest at Trent Bridge when the hosts chased down a 146 target to win by five wickets.
But what better way to get the campaign back on track than by beating the current North Group leaders, Worcestershire Rapids.
Lancashire have not lost a home game since the final game of the 2020 season, a record clearly focused on Emirates Old Trafford. But it’s a record which doesn’t distinguish between venues and is one they will be desperate to uphold.
Last June, the Lightning played two matches at Blackpool. They beat Nottinghamshire before, a couple of days later, a clash with Durham there was abandoned in a No Result because of the weather after only 17.4 overs of play.
While Lancashire have won three and lost four so far in the North Group, Worcester have won four from five to lead the table on net run-rate from Birmingham and Notts. They could have lost top spot by the time they take the field tomorrow evening.
This is the second part of a T20 doubleheader, with Thunder women facing Northern Diamonds in a virtual knockout clash in the Charlotte Edwards Cup (11.30am). A Thunder win is likely to see them qualify for Finals Day on Saturday at New Road.
Opponents:
Last season and this provides quite the contrast in Vitality Blast results for Worcestershire.
In 2022, they finished bottom of the North Group with only two wins and 11 losses in 14 matches. They have already doubled their tally of wins in only five matches this term.
At time of writing, they have two of the competition’s three leading wicket-takers; seamer Pat Brown with 12 and Brett D’Oliveira 11 with his leg-spinners.
Captained by all-rounder D’Oliveira, they have been boosted by new signing Adam Hose’s good form with the bat in the middle order. The tall powerful former Birmingham player has scored 172 with two half-centuries so far.
They have fielded three overseas players so far in the competition. Pakistan leg-spinner has now departed, replaced by New Zealand all-rounder Mitch Santner.
Another Kiwi all-rounder Michael Bracewell is also at New Road for the duration of the Blast.
Opposing player to watch:
Middle order right-hander Kashif Ali is a highly rated batting prospect at New Road.
Last season, the 25-year-old born in Kashmir was signed having impressed the Worcestershire hierarchy with his performances for the South Asian Cricket Academy.
Tomorrow promises to be his 15th career appearance in T20, and he will be looking for his second half-century. His first - 69 off 44 balls - came in a home win over Leicestershire last week.
Ali scored a One-Day Cup century last August and has played one Championship match for the Pears.
He is slight in stature but doesn’t lack power. He mixes that with invention.
Previous meeting:
One of Worcestershire’s two Blast wins last year came against the Lightning at New Road early last July, a 29-run defeat which thankfully didn’t affect the county’s progress through to the quarter-finals and ultimately the final.
Brett D’Oliveira’s 33 at the top of the order was the best of a series of solid but not standout contributions as the Rapids made 178-6 batting first. Luke Wells claimed two wickets.
In reply, a Lancashire batting line-up headed up by Jos Buttler slipped from 85-0 in the ninth over to 149 all out inside 20, with D’Oliveira claiming an excellent 4-20 with his leg-spinners.
Buttler made 42 and Phil Salt 44 at the top of the order, but no one else made it to 15.
What they said:
Lancashire’s New Zealand international all-rounder Daryl Mitchell is returning ‘home’ to the bright lights of Blackpool.
Mitchell played for the Stanley Park club as their overseas player in 2016, playing alongside Steven Croft and Richard Gleeson during that spell as well.
Mitchell loved his time by the seaside, even returning there for a short holiday last summer whilst touring England with the New Zealand national side.
The 32-year-old is also due to play at Stanley Park next month against Essex in his last of four Championship appearances for the Red Rose county.
“It will be cool. I played there a number of years ago, and it’s going to be awesome to go back there,” he said. “I’ve got some good friends in that area, and it will be nice to play at Stanley Park again.
“There’s also a couple of my Kiwi mates in that Worcester team, Michael Bracewell and Mitch Santner. That will be nice to play against them.”
Mitchell recognises that this fixture is far more important than just the two points on offer.
“That’s why you play the games at these venues, to grow the game and get the future watching cricket,” he added. “Hopefully they’ll then want to play for their county and country.
“To take games such as this around the county will hopefully motivate kids to play the great game that we love.”
How’s Stat!
Lancashire beat Nottinghamshire by six wickets on June 19, 2022 in the only completed Blast fixture previously played at Blackpool. Steven Croft hit an unbeaten 61 on his home ground as the Lightning successfully pursued a 180 target.
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