Reflecting on Lancashire Lightning's highest T20 score
Scores of 200 or more don’t come around very often in T20s. Lancashire Cricket have achieved the feat 25 times since the inception of T20 cricket.
Reflecting on the times Lightning have managed a score of 200 or more in the shortest format, there are some moments that really stick out. Six of those 25 occasions have come against Yorkshire, for example.
Up until last summer, Lancs’ highest T20 score came against their biggest rivals in a Roses clash at Emirates Old Trafford Cricket Ground in 2016, when they scored 231-4.
That was eclipsed in 2025, almost exactly one year ago, when Lightning scored 243-7 away to Derbyshire Falcons.
Sometimes, it is just your day in the middle. That was certainly the case for Steven Croft’s side at the Central Co-op County Ground.
Lightning got off to a flying start, with Keaton Jennings and Luke Wells putting on a stand of 102 for the first wicket. From there, things snowballed, and a run rate of 14 an over for the second half of the innings ensured Lancs broke their record.
Wells was the chief destroyer in that partnership. He blasted the ball to all parts, but was particularly strong down the ground, smashing five fours and eight sixes on his way to a sensational 83.
Those maximums broke an individual record for Lancs, with Wells hitting the most sixes in one innings, beating seven by Liam Livingstone. That still stands now, though it has since been equalled by Livingstone against Durham at the start of this month.
Matty Hurst was the other man in Red who led the charge. Coming in at number three, the wicketkeeper struck 59 off 29 balls, with five boundaries and four sixes of his own, to help propel Lancs up to their record score.
What was so memorable about Hurst’s innings was the record that he equalled. He brought up his half-century from just 20 balls, scoring Lancashire’s joint-fastest ever Vitality Blast 50.
The record-equalling knock from number three matched Jos Buttler’s efforts in 2016 against Worcestershire at New Road.
Hurst described it as a “special” moment after the match and explained his mentality from the off was to attack.
“Walking out, I was walking past Keats [Jennings] and he went ‘just go.’ So I gave myself a few balls, and then it just happened really. The fielders placed themselves where they placed them and I took advantage.”
Those two gargantuan contributions, plus 33 each from Jennings and Livingstone, helped Lightning get up to their record score of 243. It was all-rounder Chris Green who broke the record, striking a six back over the head of Zak Chappell, breaking new ground for Lightning.
Ultimately, it was a total that proved far too much for the home side, with Derbyshire getting bowled out for 163.
It was a day that records tumbled, with the joint-fastest T20 half-century by a Lancs player and the most sixes in an innings both getting broken.
But, most importantly, Lightning obliterated their record for their highest team score, in one of the most memorable 20 overs Red Rose fans will witness.
With a trip to the Central Co-op County Ground on the cards this week, it is a feat Lightning would love to repeat.
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