MATCH PREVIEW: Lancashire Lightning vs Derbyshire Falcons
‘It’s not about how you start the group stage, it’s about you finish it’. It’s an often used phrase amongst players, coaches and pundits when it comes to the Vitality Blast.
Well, now is that time.
Lancashire have three games remaining in the North Group, all at home over the next week and a bit.
Having won six out of 11 games so far to sit with 12 points, the likelihood is that two wins from the remaining three games will secure a place in the quarter-finals for the 16th time in 21 seasons.
The Lightning are bidding to bounce back from Tuesday’s defeat against Worcestershire at New Road when the Rapids comfortably chased down a target of 165 to win by seven wickets with 2.2 overs to spare.
Jos Buttler hit 74 off 54 balls and Rob Jones 42 off 30 to underpin 164-8. Jack Blatherwick then claimed two wickets in the defence.
Derbyshire, meanwhile, beat Northamptonshire by six wickets at Wantage Road last night chasing 157. It was their fifth win in 11 games, added to a tie, and they closed to within a point of the Lightning.
Lancashire currently sit inside the top four qualifying places, though that could change this evening (Thursday), with Yorkshire hosting leaders Birmingham. The Vikings are also sat on 12 points in fifth place.
Opposition
T20 cricket hasn’t generally been a happy hunting ground for Derbyshire, them only once reaching Finals Day in 2019 when they were beaten semi-finalists by champions Essex.
But they are still in the hunt for their second successive quarter-final appearance. They suffered a landslide defeat to Somerset at Taunton last year.
They are captained by dangerous South African-born batter Leus du Plooy, who recently dropped down to the second team to guide them to T20 title glory at Wormsley.
Pakistanis Haider Ali and Zaman Khan are their batting and seam bowling overseas players. Khan has an action identical to that of the great Sri Lankan Lasith Malinga.
Former Lancashire left-arm spinner Mark Watt is unavailable to the Falcons because of international duty he is currently playing in the ICC World Cup qualifiers for Scotland in Zimbabwe.
Wayne Madsen is their leading run-scorer in this season’s Blast with 486 and fast bowler Zak Chappell their leading wicket-taker with 20.
Opposing player to watch
You know those bar-room questions. If you could sign any player from another county, who would it be? Well, there’s a fair chance Wayne Madsen would be high on the list of a lot of county supporters.
The South-African born batter seems to get better with age, like a fine wine. The Jimmy Anderson of county batting, you might say.
The 39-year-old started the competition with a world-record equalling five successive fifties, the first against Lancashire at Edgbaston at Blast Off. He is one of only seven players to achieve that feat, including Jos Buttler.
In beating Northamptonshire last night at Wantage Road, he scored 35 and went beyond 4,000 T20 runs for Derbyshire - the first man to achieve that feat.
Second place on Derbyshire’s all-time leading run-scorers list is Wes Durston with 2,114.
The Manchester Originals batter in the Hundred mixes power with invention. He loves a ramp, for example, owing much to a background in Hockey. He played for South Africa at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.
Previous meeting
Lancashire beat Derbyshire in the opening fixture of this season’s competition, at Edgbaston as part of the ECB’s new Blast Off innovation on May 20.
The Lightning won by four wickets with four balls to spare chasing 180.
Luke Wood with three wickets and Luke Wells with 66 off 35 balls were the star performers.
England left-arm quick Wood struck with the first legitimate ball of the match to trap Haider Ali lbw before later removing Leus du Plooy and Anuj Dal as the Falcons made their way to 179-5 on a sunny Saturday afternoon.
Wayne Madsen made 50 off 35 balls for a Derbyshire team designated as the home team at the start of a double header day with Birmingham Bears and Yorkshire.
In the chase, Wells was elevated up to the top of the order in place of injured Keaton Jennings and in the absence of Jos Buttler, Liam Livingstone and Phil Salt.
And it worked wonders, with him crashing his quick-fire 66 to break the back of the chase, including three sixes.
When he holed out off Zak Chappell’s pace, leaving the score at 112-3 after 10 overs, the Red Rose county were well on their way to the target. And so it proved.
Daryl Mitchell chipped in with a useful 31 off 19 balls added to an unbeaten 21 from Rob Jones.
What they said
Rob Jones is backing Lancashire to get the job done in terms of quarter-final qualification over the next 10 days.
The Lightning have three games remaining in which to secure a top-four finish. Following Derbyshire, Yorkshire a week tomorrow and Northamptonshire a week on Sunday also visit Emirates Old Trafford to round off the North Group.
Lancashire currently sit fourth in the table with 12 points, and Jones said: “I’m backing the boys to come back for the next three games, 100 percent.
“We have some world-class players in the team, so there’s no dramas there. If we win two out of three, we’ll be right up there.
“We play brilliantly at home. Our home record’s outstanding. We’re looking forward to taking the opportunities, and I’m sure we’ll come out on top like we always do.
“We’ll fight in our Lancashire way and give it our best shot.”
Lancashire haven’t been dominant in this season’s Blast, but they have still played some good cricket, twice winning three games on the bounce.
Jones added: “We’re right up there, and it’s just a case of getting to the quarter-finals. We’re there most years.
“It’s about backing ourselves and playing brave cricket. Sometimes you’re going to get it wrong multiple times, but you’ve got to turn up and keep taking the positive option as much as you can.”
How’s stat
This is pretty much a repeat of the statistic we used ahead of the Worcestershire game on Tuesday. But it’s definitely worth noting again. Jos Buttler is now three runs away from becoming only the ninth player in T20 history anywhere in the world to reach 10,000 career runs.
In 371 games, he has gone beyond 50 on 77 occasions, including Tuesday’s 74 in the defeat at New Road.