Breetzke blitz carries Northamptonshire into quarter-finals
Lancashire’s hefty target overhauled despite Dockrell 45
ECB Reporters Network19-Jul-2024Matthew Breetzke’s thunderous 31-ball 76 helped Northamptonshire Steelbacks secure a home quarter-final in the Vitality Blast by beating Lancashire Lightning by four wickets at Emirates Old Trafford.It was the visitors’ first T20 victory on this ground in eight attempts but no one could doubt that it was thoroughly deserved.Reply to the home side’s 210 for nine, in which Jack White took three for 16, the Steelbacks sealed their win with eight balls to spare, the visitors surviving a late tumble of wickets before Ashton Agar’s six off Liam Livingstone settled matters.Lancashire scored 54 runs in their Powerplay overs but lost three wickets in doing so, all of them falling to White. Luke Wells was caught at deep square leg by Breetzke for 10, Phil Salt holed out to David Willey at mid-off for nine and, after whacking four fours and a six in his 12-ball 24, Keaton Jennings skied a return catch to the bowler.Livingstone and Matty Hurst then launched an effective counter-attack, Livingstone hitting three sixes in his first 18 balls and Lightning reached the midpoint of their 20-over allotment on 93 for three. But the T20 England international’s fun was ended by Freddie Heldreich, who had him caught at deep midwicket by Ricardo Vasconcelos for 36 and Hurst followed in the next over, caught at deep backward square leg by Ben Sanderson off Ravi Bopara for 30.However, Lancashire were still well placed on 115 for five when that wicket fell and their momentum was maintained by George Dockrell and Steven Croft, the latter passing 5,000 T20 runs for the Red Rose when he reached five.The pair put on 44 in 23 balls before Croft skied Willey to Bopara and both Chris Green and Tom Hartley soon fell in successive overs to leave Dockrell and Luke Wood to ensure Lancashire set a formidable target. The Irish international gave Vasconcelos his second catch and Sanderson his second wicket when five short of his fifty but the home side’s 201 for nine looked more than competitive, albeit on a good batting wicket.White was the most successful Steelbacks bowler with three for 16. Willey and Sanderson collected two apiece and Bopara took one for 26 from his three useful overs.Northamptonshire’s pursuit of their target in a manner that was alternately orthodox and inventive but which put all Lancashire’s bowlers to the sword. Vasconcelos and Breetzke hit 13 fours and two sixes in their Powerplay overs, at the end of which Northamptonshire were 85 without loss and perfectly placed to secure their vital victory.Breetzke reached his fifty off 19 balls with seven fours and two sixes, an astonishing display of calculated hitting that helped ensure the visitors’ hundred came up in the eighth over, Two balls later, though, Vasconcelos was caught at the third attempt by Matty Hurst at short third man for 36 off Wells to end his 102 stand with Breetzke.And Wells struck again in his next over when he removed Breetzke, who pulled him to Green at deep midwicket after making 76 off 31 balls with seven fours and five sixes. Saif Zaib then fell lbw to Livingstone for four but Bopara and Willey’s shrewd 59-run stand took Northamptonshire to within 13 runs of their goal.The skipper was caught by Croft off Dockrell for 26 and Bopara fell lbw to Mahmood for 36 but Agar and Gus Miller saw their side home. Wells finished with two for 23.