MATCH PREVIEW: Lancashire v Worcestershire
Match Preview as we host Worcestershire at Southport and Birkdale Cricket Club
Lancashire v Worcestershire
Rothesay County Championship, Division Two
Friday May 15 - Monday May 18, 2026, 11am
Southport and Birkdale CC
After a bright start to the season, Lancashire’s promotion bid has hit a couple of speed bumps in the form of back-to-back defeats away against Durham and at home to Middlesex.
At the start of the campaign, the Red Rose were getting results - two wins in their first three games - without playing their best cricket.
Unfortunately, that has continued and the results haven’t followed. They have now played five, won two, lost two and drawn one.
The Middlesex defeat inside three days on Sunday came courtesy of a damaging second-innings batting display when they were bowled out for 84 early on day three to set the visitors a target of only 117.
This is the last game before the break for the start of the Vitality Blast, and they face a Worcestershire side who have the same played five, won two, lost two, drawn one record.
Lancashire sit fourth with 63 points - 28 behind leaders Durham - and Worcestershire are fifth on 60.
They were beaten by Durham inside three days at New Road on Sunday.
Opposition
The Pears are captained by batting all-rounder Brett D’Oliveira and coached by Alan Richardson.
They were relegated from Division One last year but have - like Lancashire - given themselves a start to work with this year even if things could have been better.
They have signed South African all-rounder Beyers Swanepoel on an overseas red-ball contract for 2026, though he has only played twice so far. He courted controversy at the start of the season for leaving the field in a domestic final back in South Africa early in order to catch his evening flight to the UK.
Worcestershire have got some talented youngsters, chiefly Dan Lategan, Kashif Ali and Ethan Brookes.
They also have experienced quality with the bat in the likes of Jake Libby and Adam Hose and likewise with the ball in the seam of Tom Taylor, who was the leading wicket-taker in last year’s Division One with 58.
Opposition player to watch
Tom Taylor is with his fourth county having previously played for Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire.
The 31-year-old new-ball seamer is in his third season at New Road, having signed from Northamptonshire, and he has claimed an impressive 106 wickets in 25 Championship appearances for his latest side.
The Stoke-born quick, who also packs a punch down the order with the bat, has taken 21 of those in five matches this season, including a best of 5-58 in the second innings of a win over Kent at New Road late last month.
As aforementioned, Taylor was the leading wicket-taker in Division One last season with 58 scalps.
He bettered the likes of Kyle Abbott, Jack Leach, George Hill and Jamie Porter.
Previous meeting
These two counties haven’t played each other since 2024 due to being in different divisions last year.
On that occasion, it was a late September Division One clash - the final game of that season, in fact - at New Road.
The two sides played out a weather-affected which saw no play on day two.
West Indian seamer Anderson Phillip claimed five wickets to bowl Worcestershire out for 180 in their first innings, though the Red Rose were bowled out for 177 in reply.
Luke Wells and George Balderson made 38 apiece, while Matthew Waite struck three times for the Pears.
Worcestershire’s second innings then reached 223-9, with Phillip striking four more times.
In being bowled out for 177 in the first innings, failing to claim any batting bonus points, Lancashire’s relegation to Division Two was officially confirmed.
It’s ironic, therefore, that this week they are now facing the same side aiming to boost their chances of getting back to Division One.
What they said
Steven Croft believes a haul of three wins from Lancashire’s first six games of the season would be a “positive” return.
That is what victory at Southport this weekend would give head coach Croft and his players.
“I think to get three wins out of six would be ideal,” he said. “But it will be a long, hard four days.
“Worcester are a really good side, and we'll want a response.
“It's usually a good cricket wicket that has a bit on offer. But, if you spend time at the crease, it can be fast-scoring.
“We’ll go into that game fully confident in our ability, and if we play some good cricket then hopefully we’ll get over the line.”
How’s Stat!
This will be Marcus Harris’s 200th first-class career appearance. He goes into it having scored 13,441 runs at 39.76 with 35 centuries.
And Sir James Anderson needs to bowl 17 deliveries to reach his 75,000th (12,500 overs) in all top-flight cricket.
His 1,591 all-format wickets have come at a strike-rate of 47.12 balls per wicket.
;