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NatWest T20 Blast Finals Day - August 23

Edgbaston

    [end-of-innings] Birmingham Bears finish on 181-5 as Woakes signs off with back-to-back boundaries. Brown puts in a decent sprawling effort on the boundary to try and prevent the former but grazes the rope with his studs. "Runs on the board always vital in a final," says Nass. So now we know - the Lightning will be champions if they can score 182. Stick with us for what should be a cracking chase. What price Flintoff hitting the winning runs?
    8/23/2014 7:04:26 PM
    The Bears have broken from their pre-fielding huddle and I wonder if they know that Lancashire would have to make more than any team has done chasing on Finals Day - in either semi-final or final matches.
    8/23/2014 7:14:54 PM
    Over 1 - Lancs 4-0 (Smith 2, Prince 2)
    Tidy start from Javid and Smith, no doubt,will be happy to after lasting just one ball in the semi-final. He picks up a couple of singles as does Prince. Woakes will take the second over...
    8/23/2014 7:17:45 PM
    Over 2 - Lancs 11-0 (Smith 2, Prince 9)
    Woakes drops short of a length and Prince pulls powerfully for the first four of the innings. A spot of cat-and-mouse going on out in the middle with Prince swishing at a couple only to be beaten by Woakes but also picking up two with an off-side flay that drops tantalisingly out of Bell's reach.
    8/23/2014 7:21:51 PM
    Over 3 - Lancs 24-0 (Smith 10, Prince 14)
    Prince is clearly confident in his distances - sneaking a drive just over Clarke at mid-on, then dropping one just short of Evans in the deep. Perhaps to ease his team-mates' nerves, he swats Javid down the ground for six. Thirteen off a profitable over.
    8/23/2014 7:25:08 PM
    Over 4 - Lancs 34-0 (Smith 18, Prince 16)
    Don't bother running for that. Tom Smith, his bended knee almost touching the pitch, smotes Clarke high over long on for a majestic maximum. That's one effective way to ease scoreboard pressure. Up until then Clarke appeared to have the rub on the batsmen, mixing up his pace well.
    8/23/2014 7:29:35 PM
    Over 5 - Lancs 40-0 (Smith 19, Prince 21)
    Rankin opens up with a genuinely quick bouncer to Smith - the first of the day, it's decided, after some collective scratching of heads in the comms box. Prince has his own plan to counter-attack the short ball and steps away to power Rankin through the off-side with a meaty swing of his bat. The towering seamer goes right through Smith with the final ball of the over for no reward.
    8/23/2014 7:33:07 PM
    8/23/2014 7:34:38 PM

    Smith c Evans b Woakes 19 [wicket]

    Woakes bags the breakthrough as Smith, aiming to leg, gets an outside edge and Evans pouches the easiest of catches
    8/23/2014 7:35:39 PM
    Over 6 - Lancs 45-1 (Prince 25, Khawaja 1)
    That's the powerplay done - and the Lightning can feel pretty happy with their work so far. Evans' catch at backward point looked easy enough but given the situation and the lights he probably deserves a little more credit. Khawaja enters the fray.
    8/23/2014 7:38:48 PM
    Over 7 - Lancs 50-1 (Prince 26, Khawaja 3)
    Rankin could be the trump card here - he's bowling a fuller length that is proving hard to get away. Predictably, he then rather tarnishes his card by slipping in a full bunger that is called a no-ball on height grounds. Time for Jeetan Patel to come into the attack with the required run-rate standing at 10.2.
    8/23/2014 7:42:46 PM
    Over 8 - Lancs 58-1 (Prince 28, Khawaja 10)
    Patel gets the full teapot out as Khawaja is beaten by the bounce but still gets enough bat on his attempted sweep to pick up a fortunate four. There's no appeal later in the over when Khawaja repeats the shot and appears to be struck pretty close in line with off-stump. Must have been a touch of bat in there. Eight off Patel's first over.
    8/23/2014 7:47:00 PM

    Khawaja c Evans b Rankin 16 [wicket]

    No mistake this time from Evans, who sets himself well in the deep at backward square and swallows Khawaja's misplaced pull
    8/23/2014 7:50:07 PM
    Over 9 - Lancs 63-2 (Khawaja 11, Brown 1)
    Rankin created some room for himself but in the end was rather reaching for the ball. His reaction on his dismissal - head bowed in dejection - illustrates just how much this means to him.
    8/23/2014 7:51:54 PM
    Over 10 - Lancs 77-2 (Khawaja 16, Brown 10)
    What a drop! Evans, if anything, has too much time at long on as Brown launches Patel into the stratosphere and makes a complete hash of a steepler. Brown continues to play expansively and swats the spinner into the stands for six.
    8/23/2014 7:54:30 PM
    8/23/2014 7:58:11 PM
    Over 11 - Lancs 82-3 (Brown 11, Buttler 4)
    Rankin finishes with very respectable figures of 2-21 from his four overs - the last of which costs just five runs as Buttler beds in.
    8/23/2014 7:59:39 PM
    BUTTLER RAMP MASTERCLASS
    8/23/2014 8:00:11 PM
    Over 12 - Lancs 99-3 (Brown 22, Buttler 10)
    Brown swings hard and collects four through midwicket to finish what could be a game-changing over having already despatched the spinner into the stands. Buttler gets in on the act - not with a ramp shot but by despatching a low full toss with awesome power. Fast hands, there.
    8/23/2014 8:03:17 PM
    [betting]SKY BET ODDS
    Can Buttler, Flintoff & co. lead Lancashire to T20 glory? The Lightning are evens to win with Birmingham slight favourites at 4/5. Click here to bet in-play.
    8/23/2014 8:05:09 PM

    Buttler c Ambrose b Hannon-Dalby 11 [wicket]

    Simplest of catches for Ambrose as Buttler snicks through attempting to drive through the off-side
    8/23/2014 8:06:08 PM
    Over 13 - Lancs 103-4 (Brown 23, Croft 1)
    Hannon-Dalby time rarely disappoints and he does his skipper proud, conceding just three off his first four balls before dismissing Buttler - a wicket that, in Vaughan's view, has tilted the balance of power very much in Birmingham's favour. No wonder they're belting out 'Hey Jude' in the stands.
    8/23/2014 8:07:53 PM
    Over 14 - Lancs 114-4 (Brown 33, Croft 2)
    Clarke's cooking up a number of varieties here, beating Brown with a top-spinner that bounces only to see his back-of-the-hand slower ball disappear for six - Brown belting it far afield.
    8/23/2014 8:11:19 PM

    Horton c Ambrose b Patel 1 [wicket]

    Rob Bailey's finger goes up but Horton - arms outstretched - stands his ground for an interminable time before walking off, demonstrably displeased
    8/23/2014 8:13:17 PM
    Over 15 - Lancs 120-5 (Brown 34, Horton 1)
    So here's how we stand. Lancashire need 62 to win off 30 balls. Another clever over from Hannon-Dalby, who isn't bowling any two deliveries the same pace. Croft got away with one that just looped over Woakes at backward point but there his luck run out, Hannon-Dalby beating him all ends up as he swatted at thin air.
    8/23/2014 8:15:32 PM
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