MATCH PREVIEW: Birmingham Bears v Lancashire Lightning
Lancashire will go top of the North Group and put one foot in the quarter-finals should they make it two wins in less than 24 hours today.
Birmingham Bears v Lancashire Lightning
Vitality Blast, North Group
Wednesday 9 July, 2025, 7pm
Edgbaston
Lancashire and Durham are going toe to toe at the top of the table, both sitting with 28 points and seven wins apiece. Lancashire have played nine, Durham 10.
But the teams below them are struggling to maintain the pace.
Every other team in the North Group has played more games than Lancashire, so they are definitely in the box seat.
They would go 12 points clear of fifth-placed Leicestershire with four games remaining should they win this one.
The Bears currently hold fourth place in the table with 20 points and five wins and five losses to their name. They were beaten by Durham at the Banks Homes Riverside on Sunday afternoon.
Opposition
There is some history between these two sides in the Blast, with the Bears - then under the name of Birmingham Bears - beating Lancashire in the 2014 final at Edgbaston.
Both counties have won this title once apiece.
Since then, they have challenged regularly, though the Bears have had recent issues actually getting to Finals Day.
They have lost in the quarter-finals in each of the last four seasons, with the last three campaigns seeing them lose knockout ties at Edgbaston. The Bears were last at Finals Day in 2017 when they were runners-up to Nottinghamshire.
Captained by former Lancashire wicketkeeper-batter Alex Davies, they are coached by former opening batter Ian Westwood. He replaced Mark Robinson ahead of this summer.
They have Pakistani fast bowler Hassan Ali, another ex-Red Rose man, as their overseas player alongside New Zealand batter Tom Latham as the other. Latham captains his country in Test Cricket.
Hassan is their leading wicket-taker with 19 in eight matches so far, while Sam Hain is their leading run-scorer with 309 from 10.
Opposition player to watch
Lancashire will know all about experienced Pakistan fast bowler Hassan Ali, though he didn’t represent the county in this competition during his brief spell at Emirates Old Trafford in 2022.
Hassan represented the Red Rose county in five Championship matches at the start of 2022, and was excellent with 25 wickets.
He has made a similar impact with Warwickshire as a county.
This is his third season with the county, and he has taken 65 wickets in 27 matches across both the Vitality Blast and the Rothesay County Championship.
An effervescent character off the field, he has good pace and skill with the ball on it.
The 31-year-old has topped the 300-wicket mark in his T20 career during the last few weeks, with his 19-wicket haul putting him third on the list of the Blast’s leading wicket-takers for 2025.
That includes a career best haul of 6-23 in a win over Derbyshire at Edgbaston early last month.
He is also a dangerous striker of the ball down the order, as an innings of 22 not out off eight balls against Yorkshire at Headingley last month suggests. He helped get the Bears up to 205-8, a total they comfortably defended.
Previous meeting
This is the only meeting between these two counties in the North Group phase of this year’s competition.
In fact, the last time the two met twice in the group phase was back in 2019, and one of those was abandoned without a ball bowled.
Last year, Lancashire won a pulsating affair by eight runs at Emirates Old Trafford - June 7.
Luke Wells opened up with a blistering 66 off 32 balls for the Lightning in 176-8, hitting five fours and as many sixes to underpin a 176-8 total. Hassan Ali struck three times for the Bears.
In reply, the visitors recovered well from 76-4 at the start of the 11th over to post 168-6. Sam Hain top-scored with 59, but their start ultimately cost them as Lancashire just about kept them at arm’s length.
Wells struck twice with his leg-spinners to cap his good night, including getting now England batter Jacob Bethell out. Luke Wood also struck twice having taken the new ball.
What they said
Head coach Steven Croft’s succinct appraisal of Lancashire’s weekend efforts in the Vitality Blast indicate a real relentless attitude which is underpinning the county’s drive for a second Blast title.
The Red Rose go in search of a fifth successive win at Edgbaston tomorrow, with weekend wins over Northamptonshire on Friday and Derbyshire on Saturday elevating them to the top of the North Group table.
With seven wins from nine in the bag, it’s already looking highly likely that the Lightning will be competing in the quarter-finals come September time.
But Croft and co are refusing to let up.
“Two wins in two, and we go onto the next,” he said over the weekend.
Lancashire were tested more against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road than they were by Derbyshire at Emirates Old Trafford.
And what is pleasing Croft is that a whole host of players are contributing.
“It was once again another performance where the performers were spread out,” Croft said after the 42-run success over the Falcons on Saturday afternoon, which saw Lancashire post 178-6 and limit their visitors to 136-6 in reply.
“Everyone stuck their hands up at one time or another, from the fielding, batting and bowling.
“It’s been a real good team effort. We’re thrilled.”
How’s Stat!
Jos Buttler currently sits with 1,637 runs from 53 appearances for Lancashire in the Vitality Blast.
The former England white-ball captain is seventh on the county’s all-time leading run-scorers’ list in this format of the campaign, one headed by his current coach Steven Croft (5,018).
A good night at Edgbaston could see Buttler go ahead of opponent Alex Davies, who is sixth on the Red Rose all-time list with 1,674.