Lightning grounds Jets to extend T20 misery
DURHAM SLIDE TO FOURTH T20 BLAST DEFEAT IN A ROW
A CAREER-BEST T20 innings of 61 by Liam Livingstone and some tight leg-spin bowling by Matthew Parkinson guided Lancashire to a routine 31-run victory over Durham at Old Trafford.
The victory was Lancashire’s third in six games but left Durham with four defeats to show for their efforts in this season’s competition.
Paul Coughlin’s side remain on minus four points thanks to the ECB’s sanction last October, and their chances of qualifying from the North Group are already very slim.
But there was no doubting the justice of the result of yesterday’s game in which Lancashire posted 174 for five, with Durham only producing 143 for eight.
The highlight of Lancashire’s innings for most in the crowd was probably Livingstone’s halfcentury, which included a couple of sixes off Chris Rushworth, a painful blow on the forearm from the same bowler and a quartet of fours.
But the most effective home batting was produced in the last six overs when Ryan McLaren and Steven Croft put on an unbroken 64 for the sixth wicket, a partnership which hoisted Lancashire to a better-than-par total.
Both batsmen hit sixes off Coughlin’s final over of the innings and McLaren’s 32 off 18 balls reinforced the view he has been one of his new county’s shrewder acquisitions.
But Lightning’s progress had initially been checked by the loss of three wickets in the opening nine overs of their innings.
Jos Buttler was caught at backward point by Durham debutant Gareth Harte off Ryan Pringle for only four, and the England batsman’s dismissal followed that of Karl Brown, brilliantly caught by a diving Harte off Rushworth for eight.
Arron Lilley was pouched by wicketkeeper Stuart Poynter off Coughlin for 12.
But Durham’s delight at making those early breakthroughs was dulled by a shoulder injury suffered by Adam Hickey, who was forced to leave the field after failing to complete a diving catch off Lilley.
Pringle had Livingstone leg before in the 12th over when playing a rather ugly sweep and the off-spinner also dismissed Dane Vilas to finish with three for 30. But McLaren and Croft ensured Lancashire posted a respectable total with Croft finishing on 35 not out. Durham’s reply began with a flurry of boundaries from Graham Clark, two of which were struck off his brother Jordan, but the Durham opener was eventually caught at cover by Livingstone off McLaren for 24. Parkinson’s arrival brought immediate success as the spinner had Harte leg before for 11 but Cameron Steel and Jack Burnham helped maintain the momentum before Burnham was bowled by Clark’s slower ball. With nine overs to go, Durham still needed 97 but those hopes were dented when Jordan Clark removed Steel for 37 and Paul Collingwood for four in the same over. Clark finished with three for 36 and Parkinson added the wicket of Poynter to end with two for 23 as the visiting reply fizzled out. Durham coach Jon Lewis (pictured) said: “You can find some positives if you look hard enough and I thought the defeat was more to do with good cricket from Lancashire than any mistakes we made. “Death bowling is an area we need to look at. It’s not been great and we’ve been beaten by most sides in the last three overs. “Lancashire set the benchmark in most areas to be honest. “It’s a bit early to say but it’s looking as though Adam Hickey has a collarbone injury. He’s in a lot of pain at the moment and we need to get him to hospital on the way home. “We had one too many seamers in the last couple of games and the periods in the middle of the game went well. “Our confidence has taken a hit and we need to remain positive. They’re all big games and when you’ve lost your first four, you don’t want to continue the losing streak. “We need to find a win and we have to improve. We need to learn how to win.”
When you’ve lost your first four, you don’t want to continue the losing streak. We need to learn how to win Jon Lewis