{"id":273483,"date":"2025-07-19T01:27:22","date_gmt":"2025-07-19T01:27:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/273483\/"},"modified":"2025-07-19T01:27:22","modified_gmt":"2025-07-19T01:27:22","slug":"match-preview-nottinghamshire-outlaws-v-lancashire-lightning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/273483\/","title":{"rendered":"MATCH PREVIEW: Nottinghamshire Outlaws v Lancashire Lightning"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

MATCH PREVIEW: Nottinghamshire Outlaws v Lancashire Lightning<\/strong><\/p>\n


\nLancashire are there. With one group match remaining, the Red Rose county can start preparing for the business end of the Vitality Blast in early September.<\/p>\n

Nottinghamshire Outlaws v Lancashire Lightning <\/strong>
Vitality Blast, North Group <\/strong>
Friday July 18, 2025, 6.30pm <\/strong>
Trent Bridge<\/strong><\/p>\n

Last night\u2019s Roses win against Yorkshire at Headingley – by 21 runs defending 174 all out – was the county\u2019s ninth in 13 games and also all but secured their position at the head of the North Group table.<\/p>\n

Nottinghamshire actually did Lancashire a favour in losing to Worcestershire last night. It meant that whatever the result of the Roses game, the Red Rose would have qualified anyway.<\/p>\n

Notts are now all but out. Mathematically, they can still qualify even though they are seventh in the table, given they are four points behind third-placed Bears.<\/p>\n

But they must win and hope the Bears lose at Derbyshire and Leicestershire lose to Yorkshire. Even then, they would require a huge net run-rate swing.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Opposition<\/p>\n

Lancashire and Nottinghamshire have three Blast titles between them.<\/p>\n

The Red Rose were champions in 2015, Notts winners in 2017 and then again in 2020.<\/p>\n

However, the Outlaws have failed to hit their straps over the last two seasons.<\/p>\n

They missed out on the quarter-finals last season, finishing bottom of the North Group with only three wins from their 14 games. This season, they\u2019ve been better, winning six of 13 matches. But it\u2019s still unlikely to see them through.<\/p>\n

Coached by Lancashire legend Peter Moores, who also splits his time with coaching the Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash over the winter, Notts are captained by opening batter Joe Clarke.<\/p>\n

They have Australian all-rounders Moises Henriques and Daniel Sams as their two overseas players, though the former has only played six games so far because of injury.<\/p>\n

Clarke is their leading run-scorer this campaign with 415 and Sams, with his left-arm seamers, their leading wicket-raker with 16.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Opposition player to watch<\/p>\n

Potent with the ball, powerful with the bat, Australian international all-rounder Daniel Sams is one heck of a dangerous customer.<\/p>\n

He has reached the final of this competition in an Essex shirt – in 2023 – and has been playing in the Hundred for the Trent Rockets in recent years.<\/p>\n

Sams has been a greater contributor with the ball than with the bat in his first Blast season with Nottinghamshire.<\/p>\n

Aged 32 and a linchpin performer for Sydney Thunder in Australia\u2019s Big Bash, Sams is closing in on 200 career T20 appearances. In that time – 195 matches to be precise – he has taken 236 wickets and scored 2,135 runs.<\/p>\n

Sams is a team-mate of Chris Green\u2019s at Sydney Thunder.<\/p>\n

He has played in a host of T20 domestic competitions around the world, including the Indian Premier League and America\u2019s Major League Cricket. He has been capped 10 times for his country in T20 internationals.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Previous meeting<\/p>\n

Lancashire openers Keaton Jennings and Luke Wells shared 177 inside 16 overs – the highest ever partnership for any wicket in the Vitality Blast North Group – as Lightning beat Nottinghamshire by 47 runs at Emirates Old Trafford on May 31.<\/p>\n

Having elected to bat, Jennings crashed 95 off 49 balls and Wells 87 off 50 as Lightning totalled 216-3 to set up a second straight win to start their campaign.<\/p>\n

The Outlaws replied with 169 all out. Less than 24 hours earlier, they conceded 226-5 against the Bears at Trent Bridge but chased it easily.<\/p>\n

This target was achievable even on a used pitch. But Lancashire returned a polished bowling display, including a superb 3-23 from four overs for left-arm spinner Charlie Barnard. Moises Henriques made 60 off 32 balls for Notts.<\/p>\n

In defence, like Barnard, Tom Aspinwall was excellent with 3-26 with his pace. So too was Australian overseas off-spinner Chris Green with 2-28.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

What they said<\/p>\n

Jos Buttler wants Lancashire to make the most of the opportunity they have created with some excellent group form.<\/p>\n

The Lightning have won nine of 13 group matches to reach the quarter-finals, and they are hunting down a second Blast title.<\/p>\n

Former England white-ball captain Buttler was part of the Red Rose team which won the only title, 10 years ago this summer, and he would love to repeat that triumph come September.<\/p>\n

\u201cLancashire has a history of playing well in T20 cricket,\u201d he said, having hit a brilliant 77 in victory over Yorkshire at Headingley last night.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe play really well at home and have been a good side for a number of years. It\u2019s important that we try and make the most of that.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a really good team, and it\u2019s important that we drive that forwards and get into a Finals Day again and try and go all the way.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been a really consistent team. If I\u2019m not wrong, I think we\u2019ve won the most T20 matches (of any county). But we haven\u2019t won the big prize enough.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re the games you have to win, and the quarter-final is the next challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

How\u2019s Stat!<\/p>\n

In 23 seasons of the Vitality Blast, which started back in 2003, Lancashire have only failed to reach the quarter-finals on five occasions.<\/p>\n

They have reached the last eight every season since last missing out in 2017.<\/p>\n

\t\t
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