Excellent Lancashire condemn Notts to heavy defeat

Chasing 179 for victory, Notts fell to their joint-lowest defeat in the T20 Blast

Trent Bridge: Lancashire 178-7, Nottinghamshire 91 - Lancashire win by 87 runs

Scorecard

Lancashire ended a run of nine consecutive Trent Bridge defeats against Notts Outlaws by dismissing the home side for 91 - equalling the lowest score in their T20 history - sending them crashing to a 87-run loss in this Vitality Blast North Group match, their heaviest defeat in the competition.

The Outlaws felt their bowlers had done enough to give them a chance of taking the points as the visitors, 88 for 1 after 10 overs, finished on 178 for 7, Keaton Jennings top-scoring with 55.

But after a catastrophic start to their reply that saw them 11 for 4 after 11 balls, they were dismissed inside the 15th over. It was only through a late thrash by Luke Fletcher, who cleared the ropes three times in his 22, that they managed to drag their total to level with the 91 that Lancashire dismissed them for at Old Trafford in 2006.

The Outlaws lost Joe Clarke to a catch at long-on in left-arm spinner Tom Hartley's opening over and then three in four balls in a calamitous over bowled by Richard Gleeson. The Lancashire seamer, who took a career-best 5 for 33 against Worcestershire Rapids on Sunday, had Ben Duckett caught behind, Samit Patel flicking straight to fine leg before Steven Mullaney was run out by a direct hit from mid-off after setting off for a single that was never there, all in the space of four deliveries.

More trouble followed as Tom Moores was brilliantly caught behind off his former team-mate Luke Wood and the home side stumbled out of the powerplay at 34 for 5.

Alex Hales, scratching around for form so far this season, offered hope of a recovery with three boundaries but managed only to pick out midwicket as he tried to dispatch a poor ball from Liam Livingstone, and after adding 22 with Dan Christian, Matt Carter was leg before to Hartley trying to pick up a second consecutive four.

Christian was caught at deep backward square, Jake Ball holed out to long on and Fletcher, who clubbed sixes off Matt Parkinson and Livingstone twice, fell victim to a third excellent outfield catch by Steven Croft as the rout was completed.

^{Richard Gleeson and Matt Parkinson were in the wickets for Lancashire (Stu Forster/Getty Images)}

After being asked to bat first, Lancashire had emerged in good shape from the powerplay at 56 for 1, although it should have been for two, Jennings given a let-off on 27 when Outlaws keeper Moores failed to take what should have been a routine catch after Ball had found the edge.

Clubbed for four and six by the South African-born batter in the same over, Ball could not hide his frustration, sensing he had a second wicket after dismissing Phil Salt via a catch that Moores did take. With Livingstone looking in the mood at the other end, smashing Dane Paterson for six over his head and pulling Fletcher for another, Lancashire were well set at 88 for 1 after 10 overs.

But the second-wicket partnership was broken two balls into the 11th as Livingstone, who has an international T20 century on this ground, tried to clear the ropes again off Paterson but merely sent the ball upwards, Christian making himself rock steady to hold the catch at extra cover.

After a 20-minute stoppage for rain, Tim David had picked out deep midwicket off slow left-armer Patel, and then Paterson picked up another big scalp as Jennings sent one soaring into the air behind square on the leg side, Fletcher watching it swirl around in the floodlights before completing the catch, keeping the ball firmly in his grip despite hitting the ground with a thud.

Although Ball went for 17 in the 17th, the last five overs mainly demonstrated the Outlaws strength at the end of an innings. Fletcher, mauled for 27 in his first two overs, gave over only 14 in his last two, picking up the wickets of Dane Vilas and Croft for good measure, Ball wrapping up with a much better final over as Lancashire finished with fewer runs than they probably anticipated at the halfway stage, although ultimately more than enough.