MATCH PREVIEW: Nottinghamshire Outlaws vs. Lancashire Lightning, Vitality Blast Men
Nottinghamshire Outlaws v Lancashire Lightning
Vitality Blast, North Group
Friday July 3, 2026, 6.30pm
Trent Bridge
All games are key for Lancashire as they bid for quarter-final cricket. But this one feels particularly important given it’s against the North Group leaders.
The Lightning beat the Outlaws at Emirates Old Trafford very early on in the competition, and they could do with repeating the trick in the East Midlands.
If they do, they will have given themselves a great chance of qualification going into the final week of group action when they face home matches against Derbyshire Falcons, Yorkshire and Durham.
While Lancashire have won four and lost four of their eight games so far, Nottinghamshire have won five and lost three.
Lightning are on a three-game winning streak in the Blast, most recently beating Derbyshire by four runs at Derby last night as they successfully defended a 206-target.
Pakistani overseas all-rounder Shadab Khan was Lancashire’s hero with a quick-fire 58 and three wickets with his leg-spinners.
Lancashire are third in the North on 16 points, two behind second-placed Yorkshire and four behind leaders Notts’. All the top three have played eight, while fourth-placed Durham on 12 points have a game in hand.
The top two in each of the three groups guarantees quarter-final qualification, while the two best third-placed finishers also advance.
Lancashire’s remaining games are against Notts’ tomorrow before home games against Derbyshire on Monday, Yorkshire next Friday and Durham a week on Sunday.
Opposition
Nottinghamshire lost their first three games of the campaign but have gone on to win their last five, most recently away to Leicestershire on Sunday when they posted 209-4 en-route to a 74-run victory.
Captained by opening batter Joe Clarke, the Outlaws have South African all-rounder George Linde and Pakistani fast bowler Mohammad Ali as their two overseas players in this competition.
They have also signed former Pakistan quick Mohammad Amir on a short-term contract through to the end of the Blast. He has played the last two matches, striking twice in each. As a British passport holder, he qualifies as a local.
Notts’ are two-time Blast winners, in 2017 and 2020. They are having another impressive season under coach Peter Moores. Defending county champions, they are currently top of Division One in the red-ball arena.
In big-hitting Scotland international opener George Munsey, they have the leading run-scorer in the competition (408 runs, eight matches).
The Outlaws have failed to get out of the group stages in each of the last two seasons.
Opposition player to watch
George Munsey, the Oxford-born Scot, is enjoying a Liam Livingstone like run of form.
In his last three Blast matches, the 33-year-old has posted scores of 53, 82 not out and 75 not out.
A regular at international level, he is also well-travelled when it comes to the overseas franchise leagues.
This is his first season at Trent Bridge.
He has three career T20 centuries to his name, all in a Scotland shirt.
On the evidence of his current form, you wouldn’t back against him adding to that tally by the time this ongoing Blast has finished.
Previous meeting
A powerful batting display led by half-centuries for Ben McDermott, Matty Hurst and Keaton Jennings was supplemented by a polished bowling display as Lancashire claimed their first Blast win of the season at the second attempt at Nottinghamshire’s expense at Emirates Old Trafford on the late May Bank Holiday Monday.
Lancashire’s 208-4 saw Australian overseas McDermott top-score with 63 not out off 27 balls, Hurst add 57 off 40 and captain Jennings 51 off 31.
McDermott and Hurst hit four sixes apiece, while Jennings became the fourth batter to total 2,000 T20 runs for his county and the fastest to that mark in terms of number of innings.
Dillon Pennington’s nought for 61 from three overs represented Nottinghamshire’s second most expensive T20 spell ever before the visitors were unable to build on a bright start with the bat and slipped to finish on 169-9, losing by 39 runs.
Left-arm spinner Tom Hartley starred with 4-20 from 3.5 overs as Nottinghamshire lost their second successive North Group fixture.
What they said
Shadab Khan says he loves playing in the Vitality Blast.
The Pakistan all-rounder has joined Lancashire on a short-term overseas contract for the remainder of the Blast, a competition he has played in twice before.
In 2022, he represented Yorkshire and played against the Red Rose at Finals Day. The following summer, he played for Sussex Sharks.
Shadab has played in Lancashire’s last two matches away at Leicestershire and Derbyshire, both which were won. He’s now looking to make it an East Midlands road trip hat-trick against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge tomorrow.
“It’s one of the biggest clubs in the country. When the opportunity came, it was a no-brainer,” said the all-action 27-year-old.
“I always enjoy it here. The Blast is one of the best and one of my favourite tournaments to play.”
On Lancashire’s bid for the quarter-finals, he added: “We have to take it one at a time. We look forward to Friday’s game, and hopefully we win that and take it from there.”
How’s Stat!
Shadab Khan posted Lancashire’s fastest ever T20 fifty last night as the Red Rose beat Derbyshire Falcons at the County Ground. It came off just 19 balls. In all, he contributed a middle-order 58 off 22.
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