Matches (23)
IPL (2)
BAN-A vs NZ-A (1)
County DIV1 (3)
County DIV2 (4)
T20 Women’s County Cup (13)
RESULT
North Group, Worcester, July 18, 2010, Friends Provident t20
(20 ov, T:199) 191/7

Lancashire won by 7 runs

Player Of The Match
88 (52), 1/13 & 2 catches
steven-croft
Report

Croft powers Lancashire to quarter-finals

Steven Croft carried Lancashire into the Friends Provident t20 quarter-finals on the back of a tense seven-run win against Worcestershire at New Road

18-Jul-2010
Lancashire 198 for 6 beat Worcestershire 191for 7 by seven runs
Scorecard
Steven Croft carried Lancashire into the Friends Provident t20 quarter-finals on the back of a tense seven-run win against Worcestershire at New Road. With Croft making 88 from 52 balls, Lancashire piled up 198 for 6 - their biggest total of the campaign - but they were stretched to the limit when Moeen Ali launched a blistering counter-attack with 72 from 39 deliveries.
Even when the left-hander was caught on the boundary off Gary Keedy after hitting eight fours and four sixes, the Royals kept up their chase until finishing tantalisingly short on 191 for 7. It was a cruel blow to finish bottom of the North Group despite giving third-placed Lancashire a major fright.
Needing 23 from the last two overs, they were finally tamed when Sajid Mahmood took two wickets in five balls - including James Cameron for 26 - and the task was too much when Tom Smith bowled Daryl Mitchell for 39.
A pre-match skydiving display by the Red Devils was followed by an even swifter descent for Worcestershire as they entered their final match without an overseas player. Phil Jaques missed the last two games after returning to Australia and Sri Lanka veteran Sanath Jayasuriya was released after a defeat by Warwickshire ended any hopes of qualifying for the knockout stage.
An inexperienced team was powerless to stem the flow of runs despite an early glimmer of encouragement when Imran Arif bowled former New Road team-mate Stephen Moore for 10 in the fourth over.
Lancashire's response was little short of brutal. While Croft hit 10 fours and four sixes, Smith went past 500 runs in this season's competition with a power-packed 40 during a stand of 81 in six overs.
Left-arm spinner Shaaiq Choudhry managed to stem the flow, bowling Smith in the midst of a relatively economical spell, but Croft charged on after a let-off when he was caught off a no-ball on 43.
Nathan McCullum drove Choudhry for two sixes before top-edging Jack Shantry and the left-arm seamer also removed Croft with a smart catch by wicketkeeper Ben Cox.

AskESPNcricinfo Logo
Instant answers to T20 questions
Worcs Innings
<1 / 3>

Friends Provident t20

North Group
TeamMWLPTNRR
WAR16114230.403
NOT16104220.640
LAN1696190.479
NOR167617-0.160
DER166814-0.151
YOR166913-0.121
LEI166913-0.234
DUR164812-0.296
WOR1651011-0.653
South Group
TeamMWLPTNRR
SOM16115220.418
ESS16106200.395
SUS1697180.606
HAM1688160.385
SUR1688160.183
MID1688160.018
KEN167914-0.163
GLA1661012-0.979
GLO1651110-0.943