BUTTLER DID IT AS JETS SUFFER OPENING BLOW
DURHAM CONVINCINGLY OUTGUNNED BY LANCASHIRE IN FIRST NATWEST T20 BLAST TIE
Jos Buttler led the way with 59 off 39 balls as Lancashire began their NatWest T20 Blast programme with a 52run win against Durham Jets last night.
Put in by Durham’s new T20 captain, Paul Coughlin, Lancashire made 192-6 at the Emirates Riverside, a total which was comfortably enough as Durham replied with 140-7.
Buttler hit two of the Red Rose’s seven sixes, as did opener Karl Brown as he and Arron Lilley smashed 65 off four overs for the second wicket.
In the second over, Liam Livingstone sliced a drive off Weighell for Ryan Pringle to hold a low catch at backward point, leaving Lancashire four for one.
But their experiment of sending in off-spinner Lilley at number three paid off as he took three boundaries off Chris Rushworth’s second over, including two lofted over the off-side field.
Brown took two more off Weighell and when Coughlin came on Brown picked up his second ball over mid-wicket for six.
That was followed by two leg-side wides and a waisthigh full toss, which was hit for four and signalled noball. Lilley cross-batted a six over long-on and the over cost 22.
Durham needed a slice of luck to break the stand as Usman Arshad’s first ball was driven firmly back by Lilley and deflected into the stumps by the bowler, running out Brown for 35.
Lilley went for a straight six off the next ball and was caught just inside the rope by Adam Hickey.
When Coughlin returned Buttler drove his second ball for a straight six as he dominated a stand of 92 in 10 overs with Dane Vilas.
The England one-day wicketkeeper also proved adept at working the ball into space for twos, while a precise cut bisected deep gully and backward point.
His only improvisation came when he reverse-paddled a Weighell full toss over gully for his fourth four to reach 50 off 31 balls.
Having hit Pringle’s second ball over extra cover for a big six, Buttler was then tied down by the off-spinner before skying a return catch.
Weighell also picked up two late wickets to finish with 3-28 as Lancashire stalled slightly with 27 off four overs before Ryan McLaren took 16 off the last, bowled by Arshad.
Durham sent in left-hander Hickey to open with Graham Clark, who raised hopes by taking 14 off the second over from Saqib Mahmood including a six over backward point.
But wickets fell in each of the next three overs. Hickey went lbw to McLaren, Michael Richardson skied a catch to third man and Clark was run out for 21 attempting a risky single.
When Jack Burnham was bowled by Jordan Clark to make it 51-4, it was left to Paul Collingwood to keep Durham afloat. But he lacked support and Lancashire’s use of three spinners helped them to stay in control.
Collingwood holed out at deep mid-wicket for 48 off Jordan Clark, brother of Durham’s Graham, who finished with 3-26.
Durham are back at the Riverside to meet Northants (2.30pm start) in their second North Group tie.