MATCH PREVIEW: The Blaze v Lancashire Thunder
The Blaze v Lancashire Thunder
Vitality Blast, Women
Sunday June 7, 11am, 2026
Trent Bridge
Squad news
A senior professional debut at the age of 16 last week, but Lancashire’s emerging leg-spinner Venus Weerappuli has long since been ahead of her time.
Weerappuli has played in Thunder’s last two Vitality Blast matches, helping them to victory over Somerset at Emirates Old Trafford last Friday before Sunday’s defeat against Essex Eagles down at Chelmsford.
She took three wickets across those two matches, adding to a stunning record across all cricket for the county, who she first represented six years ago.
“She has been with us since the age of 10,” said Chris Chambers, a man who knows the daughter of an ex-Sri Lankan first-class cricketer well.
Chambers has a hybrid role at Emirates Old Trafford. He is Lancashire’s girls’ performance pathway manager as well as the women’s first-team fielding coach.
Speaking about Weerappuli ahead of Sunday’s trip to face The Blaze at Trent Bridge, starting at 11am, he continued: “In 2024, she was the leading wicket-taker in the county age-groups. That was as a 14-year-old playing in the Under 18s.
“She toured Australia with the England Under 19s at the start of the summer.
“Venus has always had a knack of taking wickets.
“She’s currently sat on 99 wickets for our Academy. And, in all cricket for Lancashire - age-groups and Academy - she was sat on 240 before her debut last Friday.
“The mad thing about this last week is that she played at Essex on Sunday and then had a GCSE exam on Monday. On Wednesday morning, she had another exam before playing for our seconds in the afternoon.
“At every level she’s gone up to, she’s taken wickets, and she’s a really calm and level individual.”
Whisper it quietly, but Isleworth-born Weerappuli has grown up in Bradford. Her father Ajantha - also known as AJ - played 50 all-format professional matches back in Sri Lanka between 1997 and 2007. In fact, her first club, Tong Park Esholt, is within a stone’s throw from where Emmerdale used to be filmed.
“I think they’re in the nets all the time,” said Chambers. “Her family as a whole, I think they’re a massive cricket-loving family. They watch a lot of cricket, they play a lot of cricket.
“Her whole life at the moment is cricket and exams. It’s all she’s ever wanted to do. She wants to play for Lancashire and hopefully for England in the future.”
Chambers went on: “She’s got a quicker ball, a normal leg-spinner and a googly. She’s worked very hard on increasing her pace with our spin bowling coach Mattie McKiernan. He’s done a lot of good work with her in the last four weeks or so since she came back from Australia.”
Weerappuli was part of the Lancashire Under 18s side which won the double in both 2024 and 2025. She has played club cricket for Ramsbottom women, and over winter was honoured with The Cricket Society’s Charlotte Edwards Award given to the outstanding U16s schoolgirl cricketer in England.
“Venus has played a lot of 50-over cricket, so she will be ready for that competition over the next few weeks,” said Chambers. “She’s been involved in a lot of high-pressure cricket, so she doesn’t get fazed by much.
“She's worked hard on her fielding and her batting, but she always wants the ball in her hand and loves taking wickets, which is a great asset to have.
“I think it just shows the strength of our pathway and Academy. We’ve had Grace Johnson, Tilly Kesteven and now Venus come through over the last two-and-a-half-years.
“We’ve also got the likes of Liv Cunliffe, who has also been with the England Under 19s, and Olivia Brinsden. They’re pushing through as well.
“Then, further down we've got girls who are in the Under 16s playing second-team cricket at the moment who are exciting. So, the pathway goes from strength-to-strength. There's no better feeling than having a pathway player go through and represent the first team.”
Lancashire head to Trent Bridge having won one and lost three so far in the Blast. With eight games remaining, they could do with getting some momentum quickly if they are to secure a top-four finish for Finals Day qualification.
It has been a frustrating season for the Red Rose, who have also only won two of their eight games in the One-Day Cup competition, which resumes next weekend.
Chambers added: “Generally speaking, the girls have performed well. We've just not acquired the rub of the green or one or two things haven’t gone our way.
“But, you get a couple of wins on Sunday and Tuesday (Hampshire at Blackpool), get a bit of momentum and we'll be flying again.”
The Blaze have so far won four and lost one in the Blast. They beat Warwickshire at Trent Bridge yesterday afternoon by 11 runs defending 151-7. The restricted the Bears to 140-5.
Lancashire will be missing Liv Bell, Darcey Carter and Ailsa Lister, who have all linked up with Scotland ahead of the forthcoming T20 World Cup. The Blaze have three players in the same squad, Kathryn and Sarah Bryce and Kirstie Gordon.
Opposition player to watch
Fast bowler Charley Phillips is having an excellent summer, both in 50-over and T20 cricket.
The product of the Berkshire and Hertfordshire system, Phillips is in her second full season with The Blaze. She has taken 25 wickets in 11 appearances across both formats, including seven in four games at the start of the Blast.
She played for Sunrisers in the regional era before joining The Blaze on loan at the end of 2024.
Phillips has taken the new ball for her side and has taken wickets in all phases of an innings.
The right-armer with a stingy action bowls with good pace and skill.
Previous meeting
This is the second meeting between these two counties in this season’s Blast, with The Blaze winning at Emirates Old Trafford by three wickets on Bank Holiday Monday, May 25.
England Test opener Tammy Beaumont won the battle of two key innings with former Australia captain Meg Lanning as The Blaze successfully chased 163 with three balls remaining.
Lanning was exceptional for her 81 not out off 49 balls to help Thunder recover from early trouble to post 162-5. She shared an unbroken 100 in 9.5 overs for the sixth wicket with Ailsa Lister, who contributed 39 not out.
In reply, Beaumont crashed 45 out of 53-1 after six overs but couldn't go on. Her departure for 54 off 29 balls sparked a collapse from 76-1 in the eighth over to 100-5 after 12.
But wicketkeeper-batter Sarah Bryce's resourceful 32 off 22 went a long way to ensuring last year's semi-finalists held their nerve, despite an excellent 3-25 from four overs of off-spin for Fi Morris.
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