Lightning knocks Bears off their stride
Warwickshire Bears suffered their second defeat of this years FP t20 competition at the hands of Lancashire Lightning on Sunday.
Having racked up an impressive 196 runs against the Lightning at Edgbaston, and knowing the home side's lack of success when chasing targets, Jim Troughton put his team in to bat at Old Trafford. Unfortunately, he hadn't banked on a slow pitch that favoured spin...
The Bears were up against it from the off, scoring only 12 runs from the first three overs and, when perpetual dangerman Jonathan Trott was caught by Simon Katich in Sajid Mahmood's first over for just four, it was clear that the visitors had some real work to do. Up stepped Twenty20 stalwart Darren Maddy who, along with Neil Carter, tried to increase the rate, hitting the only six of the Warwickshire innings.
But then in came spin and out went Carter – bowled by Stephen Parry for 20 – followed swiftly by Maddy (25) – caught brilliantly by Katich at backward point – and Varun Chopra (lbw) both off the bowling of 21-year-old Simon Kerrigan. Troughton played a captain's innings as best he could, making an unbeaten 42 from 34 balls, but with time against him, he could only help the Bears to 126-6 from their 20 overs.
Despite this seemingly low total, it wasn't all plain sailing for the hosts who found themselves needing 12 from the last seven balls to win. And it came down to their keeper Gareth Cross to see them over the line, sending his first ball for four and then finding a six with the penultimate delivery of the innings to seal victory.
As with the Bears, there was only really one 'big' score for Lancashire, with opener Tom Smith making a half century, but it was also the spin of Imran Tahir – 3 for 18 from four overs - that helped curb the run-rate and send batsmen back to the dugout. Keith Barker's final over started well, conceding just two from the first four balls but Cross had just one thing on his mind as he took the strike on the fifth, guiding Lancashire to 127-5 and giving them their third win from seven FP t20 matches.
