Who are the key players? How did they do last year? Where are they strong? Where might they be weak? Key questions answered ahead of the new T20 Blast campaign
Coach: Glen Chapple
Captain: Dane Vilas
Last season: Semi-finals
How did they do last year?
Lancashire came within one rain-affected match of reaching their first T20 Blast final since 2015.
Defeating Sussex by 45 runs to reach Finals Day, Lancashire had to wait until the reserve day to face eventual champions Notts Outlaws in a shortened 11-over clash and were defeated by five wickets.
Dane Vilas's side came second in the North Group, winning all but one (Notts Outlaws) of their first eight matches – the weather washed out two of their games – before ending the group stage in disappointing fashion, with defeats against Durham and third-placed Leicestershire.
Who are their key players?
Wicketkeeper Alex Davies has been Lancashire’s leading T20 runscorer in each of the past three seasons, scoring 1,140 runs and 11 half-centuries in his past 35 innings. His strike rate in the game’s shortest format – 127.68 – doesn’t set the world alight but the 26-year-old can be relied on to provide consistent top-order knocks alongside Steven Croft.
Lancashire’s England contingent are also exciting. Liam Livingstone scored 192 runs and took nine wickets in seven Blast matches in 2020 and already has a BBL final appearance under his belt this year while Saqib Mahmood came into his own as a T20 fast bowler in the Pakistan Super League, taking 12 wickets in 18.1 overs.
As for Matt Parkinson, he’s been Lancashire’s leading wicket-taker for the past three years, including taking 15 wickets and bowling a team-leading 40.2 overs in 2020. Jos Buttler, who scored his maiden T20 century during the recent IPL, will even don Lightning red for the first six matches of the campaign.
However, the most exciting player in the Lightning ranks is New Zealand international Finn Allen. The 22-year-old, ranked 122nd on the T20 Player Index, burst into the big time during the 2020-21 Super Smash, scoring 512 runs, including six fifties, at a strike rate of 193.93.
He also has an international half-century to his name after just three caps and spent the spring training alongside the likes of Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Glenn Maxwell at Royal Challengers Bangalore. He’s the explosive batsman Lancashire were missing in 2020.
Lancashire Lightning look to have a strong squad in 2021
What are their biggest strengths?
Lancashire have enviable depth in their top order with the likes of Davies, Steven Croft (the county’s all-time leading T20 runscorer with 3,680), Vilas, Buttler (for a limited time), Livingstone and, to a lesser extent, Keaton Jennings.
However, the big change this season is the arrival of Allen whose destructive, boundary-laden striking bears a strong resemblance to his RCB teammate – and former Lancashire player – Maxwell. Providing he settles in quickly, he could change Lancashire from a team regularly posting and chasing 160 to a 180-plus side.
Spin is also crucial to Lancashire’s T20 success – Dane Vilas opted to bowl 112.4 overs of spin in 2020, resulting in 34 wickets – and they will be pleased to have seven fixtures on the spinning track at Emirates Old Trafford this season.
Expect big contributions from Parkinson and Tom Hartley – who impressed with six wickets and an economy of 7.11 last season – while Jack Morley is another slow left-arm option.
Where might they have a weakness?
As ever with Lancashire, there’s uncertainty surrounding the availability of their international players and what happens when they depart.
Buttler's departure after six matches is already confirmed but the concern for Lancashire is possible white-ball call-ups for Livingstone and Parkinson. Livingstone was electric with bat and ball in 2020, scoring 192 runs and taking nine wickets in seven appearances.
Parkinson, meanwhile, has taken 61 Blast wickets since the start of 2018; over the same period, the second-placed name on the list is Australian James Faulkner (31) who is no longer with the county. Lose Parkinson to England – or injury – and the pressure mounts on the junior spinners and seam pair Tom Bailey and Richard Gleeson.
The other concern is the lack of batting firepower down the order. Given the depth of top-order talent, it's only a minor concern but the absence of a Carlos Brathwaite (Warwickshire) or a Jimmy Neesham (Essex) could come back to haunt them if they find themselves several wickets down and in need of quick runs.
What are their chances of reaching Finals Day?
Lancashire haven’t reached the final of the Blast since 2015 but have made it to the knock-out stages in five of the past six seasons.
They even reached Finals Day last season despite losing the services of Aussies Maxwell and Faulkner and starting the competition without their England players. Quarter-finals as a minimum, a strong bet for Finals Day but the trophy match could once again be a bridge too far.
Possible XI: Jos Buttler, Alex Davies, Finn Allen, Liam Livingstone, Steven Croft, Dane Vilas, Danny Lamb, Tom Hartley, Richard Gleeson, Saqib Mahmood, Matt Parkinson
Fixtures: June 9 – Derbyshire (h), June 10 – Leicestershire (h), June 13 – Worcestershire (a), June 15 – Derbyshire (a), June 17 – Durham (a), June 18 – Birmingham Bears (a), June 20 – Nottinghamshire (h), June 25 – Northamptonshire (a), June 26 – Nottinghamshire (a), July 1 – Worcestershire (a), July 2 – Yorkshire (a), July 9 – Northamptonshire (h), July 16 – Durham (h), July 17 – Yorkshire (h)
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