Match times, streaming information, tickets and travel, team news, head-to-head record, weather forecast, prediction, and everything else you need to know ahead of the latest round of the LV= Insurance County Championship...
Fixture: Lancashire v Yorkshire
Venue: Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester
Dates: Thursday, May 27, 2021 - Sunday, May 30, 2021
Start time: 11am
What's the lowdown?
The Battle of the Roses is to take place this weekend at Old Trafford with the two top teams in Group 3 going head-to-head.
Lancashire are currently at the top of the standings with 101 points and an unbeaten record. The Red Rose were still able to climb into the top spot despite only 34.3 overs being played in their entire match against Northamptonshire last week.
Yorkshire are well rested after a week off following a rain affected game against Glamorgan where Joe Root smashed 99 before returning to England duties. Yorkshire are also unbeaten so far in this contest and will look to keep their unbeaten run going here.
Who's in form?
Alex Davies managed to hit 51 not out in a frustrating few days in Northampton last weekend, his fourth half-century so far in this campaign. Captain Dane Vilas is in good form with 317 runs in six innings, averaging 52.83.
Adam Lyth is doing well this season with 538 runs in eight innings for Yorkshire. The opener's average is 59.78 and he sits at eighth in the batting standings. Ben Coad now has an impressive 13 wickets in three games for Yorkshire.
Last five first-class matches (most recent first)
Lancashire: DDWWW
Yorkshire: DDWWW
Head-to-head first-class record
Total matches: 273
Lancashire wins: 55
Yorkshire wins: 84
Draws: 134
Abandoned: 3
What's the team news?
Lancashire have named a 12-man squad ahead of their Roses clash with Yorkshire, with only James Anderson missing from the side that drew in a rain-ruined game against Northamptonshire.
Anderson has joined up with England ahead of the two-Test series against New Zealand.
Lancashire squad: Dane Vilas (c), Tom Bailey, Josh Bohannon, Steven Croft, Alex Davies, Keaton Jennings, Danny Lamb, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood, Matt Parkinson, Luke Wells, Luke Wood
Contrary to earlier reports that spread after Jonny Tattersall was allowed to leave on loan to Gloucestershire, Jonny Bairstow is unavailable for Yorkshire’s trip to Emirates Old Trafford, as are Joe Root and Dawid Malan.
Root is on international duty, while Malan misses out for personal reasons but is hopeful of returning to red-ball cricket next week when Yorkshire face Sussex.
Seamer Matt Fisher is missing with an abdominal injury, while George Gill and Jack Schutt both come into the squad.
Steve Patterson (c), Gary Ballance, Dom Bess, Harry Brook, Ben Coad, Harry Duke (wk), George Hill, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Adam Lyth, Duanne Olivier, Jack Shutt, Jordan Thompson, David Willey
Latest Lancashire news: Click here
Latest Yorkshire news: Click here
Who's said what?
Lancashire allrounder Liam Livingstone admitted his excitement on the eve of the Roses derby, with fans also back in at Emirates Old Trafford for the first time since before the global pandemic.
“I don’t think we’ve had a great record against them in four-day cricket in recent years, so it will be nice to play them at the top of our game,” said the England man, with Lancashire enjoying a fine start to their season.
“And it will be nice to have the fans backing us. Hopefully it’s a good four days of cricket and the weather turns around because we wouldn’t want it to ruin what should be a really good game. I know the lads are really excited for it.”
The importance of the derby clash with Lancashire has been heightened because of the counties’ league positions, Yorkshire captain Steve Patterson has said ahead of their four-day battle.
Patterson’s side, who will be without England trio Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow and Dawid Malan, are just three points behind Lancashire at the top of Group Three.
“To go over there and win would be brilliant,” he said. “It’s always a good game against Lancashire, but in the context of the season and the league table there will be some added significance to it.
“I love winning any four-day game. But the fact that they’re at the top and we’re second makes it more valuable. It doesn’t make it more valuable because it’s Lancashire, only because they are top at the moment.”
What's the weather forecast?
The weather is predicted to be dry for the majority of this contest with light rain anticipated early on Friday afternoon. The rest of the weekend should remain rain-free with highs of 19 degrees Celsius and sunny spells.
Keep up to date with the MetOffice’s rolling forecast for Old Trafford: Click here
How do I follow the match?
TV/stream: Sky Sports will show this game live on Sky Sports Cricket (channel 404 on Sky).
Lancashire will offer live coverage of the match via their website: Click here
All LV= County Championship matches are also available via the ECB's central hub: Click here
The matches can also be viewed on mobile via the ECB app.
Radio: BBC Local Radio and the BBC Sport website will carry ball-by-ball radio commentary of the game.
Digital: The Cricketer will carry live scorecards and daily updates from every LV= County Championship match in 2021, as well as the latest breaking news from around the counties and exclusive features. Visit our County Hub for more.
Going to the game?
Tickets
A limited number of tickets are available, priced at £10 for adults, £8 for senior citizens, and £5 for under-18s.
Click here to access the Lancashire box office.
Travel
Address: Lancashire Cricket Club, Emirates Old Trafford, Talbot Road, Manchester, M16 0PX
Parking: The current Gatehouse at the Talbot Road entrance is no longer manned although there will still be a security presence between the hours of 7pm and 7am stationed within the Pavilion reception.
Unless you have bought a permit with a membership, parking will now be paid for from pay on foot machines that have been installed by the main entrance on Talbot Road and within the Trafford Cricket Centre reception, entrance located on Car Park 4.
This system may be suspended for certain matches where parking may be limited, and different matchday charges may apply. Spectators should check the Lancashire website prior to travel.
By train: Manchester Piccadilly, Deansgate Castlefield and Victoria all have access to tram stops, which will take you directly to the ground.
By tram: Metrolink runs every few minutes so you don’t need a timetable, you can just turn up and travel anytime from early morning til late in the evening.
For those visiting the region from further afield there is free parking for Metrolink customers at park and ride sites across the network.
Buy tickets at tram stops or by using the Get Me There app.
Nearest Tram stop: Old Trafford.
By bus: Manchester has a substantial bus network. Plan your journey to Old Trafford by clicking here.
Prediction?
In such a tight contest between the local rivals, home advantage is going to be huge for Lancashire, especially with fans back in the ground. Both sides will miss England stars. Lancashire to edge it.
OTHER ROUND 8 MATCH PREVIEWS
Group 1
Warwickshire v Nottinghamshire
Group 2
Group 3
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