T20 Blast Essentials: Lancashire v Derbyshire

Match times, streaming information, tickets and travel, team news, weather forecast, form, prediction and everything else you need to know ahead of the opening round of the Vitality Blast...

What’s the lowdown?

Last year’s semi-finalists Lancashire open up their campaign against a Derbyshire side they did the double over in the 2020 Blast.

With this the first of the six games for which Jos Buttler is available and destructive new singing Finn Allen due a debut, spectators are in for some fireworks.

Add in Liam Livingstone, whose wealth of franchise experience sees him ranked No.24 in the men’s T20 Player Index, and the consistent Alex Davies, who has been his county’s leading T20 runscorer in each of the past three seasons, and you have one of the circuit’s most vaunted batting line-ups on show.

With the ball Matt Parkinson’s leg-spin will continue to be skipper Dane Vilas’ chief weapon whilst Saqib Mahmood’s pace (delivered with a slightly different action in short-form cricket) will make life uncomfortable for the visiting batters, though he is unavailable for this campaign opener due to an abdominal strain.

Falcons fans can look forward to Wayne Madsen’s craftsmanship with bat in hand – in his last away T20 fixture against Lancashire the 37-year-old struck 44 from 27. If Fynn Hudson-Prentice can translate his County Championship form with the ball into the shorter format he will provide skipper Billy Godleman with some much needed heft as he looks to tame the Lightning’s top-order beasts.

Who’s in form?

Care to consult last term’s form book and the story for the Lightning was an even spread of runs up-top and suffocating spin with ball in hand. All of Steven Croft, Alex Davies and Keaton Jennings topped 200 runs, with Jennings the most impressive averaging 58.25 and striking at 134.68. While Buttler is available it remains to be seen how the left-hander will figure in Lancashire’s plans. Of the five spinners Lancashire used, none went at more than eight runs-per-over, with Parkinson the standout taking 15 wickets, the fourth-highest in last year’s Blast.

In a taxing T20 season for the Falcons, Madsen surprised no one by topping their run-scoring table with 192 runs at a strike rate of 138.12. Leg-spinning allrounder Matt Critchley bowled 30 overs, the most for Derbyshire last year, and proved tough to get away going at an economy of 7.79.

What’s the team news?

Lancashire have named a 15-man squad, which includes Richard Gleeson following his recovery from a back injury - news that will offset the absence of Mahmood.

Lancashire squad: Dane Vilas (c), Finn Allen, Tom Bailey, Jack Blatherwick, Josh Bohannon, Jos Buttler, Steven Croft, Alex Davies, Richard Gleeson, Tom Hartley, Keaton Jennings, Danny Lamb, Liam Livingstone, Matt Parkinson, Luke Wood

Derbyshire have named a 15-man squad. 

Matt Critchley claimed 17 wickets in the competition two years ago, and he is joined by fellow spinners Mattie McKiernan and Alex Thomson, while the club’s all-time leading wicket-taker Alex Hughes is named in the squad.

Derbyshire squad: Billy Godleman, Luis Reece, Leus du Plooy, Wayne Madsen, Matt Critchley, Alex Hughes, Harry Came, Brooke Guest, Fynn Hudson-Prentice, Anuj Dal, Michael Cohen, Alex Thomson, Mattie McKiernan, Logan van Beek, George Scrimshaw

Head to head T20 record

Total matches: 32

Lancashire wins: 19

Derbyshire wins: 12

Tied: 1

Abandoned: 5

What’s the weather forecast?

Though cloudy it is set to be hot at Old Trafford for Wednesday afternoon with highs of 22 degrees celcius. The chances of any rain are minimal and there are likely to be sunny intervals by the early evening.

Keep up to date with the MetOffice’s rolling forecast for Old Trafford: Click here

Going to the game

Tickets

A limited number of tickets are available, priced at £5 for adults and £1 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. The nearest tram stop is Old Trafford.

By bus: Manchester has a substantial bus network. Plan your journey to Old Trafford by clicking here.

How do I follow the match 

Lancashire will offer live coverage of the match via their website: Click here

All T20 Blast 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: All Vitality Blast fixtures will be available on BBC Local Radio stations with extensive coverage also on 5 Live Sports Extra.

Digital: The Cricketer will carry live scorecards and updates from every Vitality Blast match in 2021, as well as the latest breaking news from around the counties and exclusive features. Visit our County Hub for more.

Prediction?

Lancashire look to have their ducks in a row for this one and with Buttler in the side boast one of the strongest T20 line-ups in the land. Derbyshire will do well to lay a finger on them. Home win.