All the talk in the previous week has been about the introduction of ‘The Hundred’ – the ECB’s new proposal aiming to introduce more kids into the game of cricket.
All they had to do was watch last night’s brilliant Roses game between Lancashire and Yorkshire.
The crowd – a record attendance of any domestic T20 game outside of London and Finals Day – stood at 22,515.
The night started with rain, delaying the match by almost an hour and half and causing the match to be reduced to 14 overs a side, but by around 10pm the mood was completely different around Old Trafford.
You only had to take one look at the teams to see that this was going to be a cracker of a match.
Jos Buttler made his first appearance of the season for Lancashire, opening the batting, while David Willey, Kane Williamson, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid and Joe Root in for Yorkshire.
It was Willey that took the early punishment, opening the bowling after Yorkshire captain Steven Patterson had sent Lancashire in to bat, his second over being carted for 14 after Liam Livingstone had smashed 18 off Tim Bresnan’s first over.
Livingstone, eventually named man of the match, was in unstoppable form and he brought up his 50 in just 5.3 overs.
England’s Rashid had a night to forget, with Livingstone, Arron Lilley and Jordan Clark all getting the better of him.
Livingstone carried on swinging, and it took an exceptional diving catch from Root at mid off to remove him from the crease.
The hitting didn’t stop there though, Clark and Lilley taking 19 off Rashid’s third over.
Another 17 came off the 14th over as Lancashire racked up a mammoth 174/2.
In most normal circumstances, you’d give the opposition no chance of chasing such a high score.
But T20 has changed a lot in the last few years, and Yorkshire now had one of the most fearsome batting attacks in county cricket.
Opener Adam Lyth took the game to the Red Rose quickly, hitting 22 off one Toby Lester over.
He went for one big shot too many in the 7th over, caught by Livingstone off leg spinner Matt Parkinson for 60, but his innings had put Yorkshire in with a shout.
In came Joe Root, who gave everyone watching an exhibition showing why he is England’s number one batsman.
After Willey, who had opened the batting with Lyth, was stumped off Parkinson, he was joined by Liam Plunkett, promoted up to number four with his big hitting skills in mind.
He dispatched Parkinson out of the ground in the 11th, and another Root six meant Yorkshire needed 46 from the last 3 overs – still advantage Lancashire you would say.
Clark bowled Plunkett around his pads with the first ball of the 12th, and when Bresnan became the next wicket to fall off the penultimate over, Lancashire looked in the ascendency.
But Root was still there, and with 17 needed off the final over, bowled by Lester, he took 12 off the first four balls.
The only mistake Root made in his innings was running a single off the penultimate ball, leaving Yorkshire needing four off the last ball but crucially giving new batsman Williamson the strike.
Williamson could only find the leg side fielder with his slog, and Lancashire clinched an epic by one run to stay top of the North group.
RS Sport 