Vitality Blast: Lancashire ease past Essex to set up semi-final with Yorkshire on Finals Day

Lancashire set up Vitality Blast semi-final with Roses rivals Yorkshire Vikings on July 16 after defeating Essex by seven wickets; Steven Croft and Dane Vilas smash fifties for Lightning in game in which Michael Pepper and Phil Salt involved in each other's dismissals!

Saturday 9 July 2022 07:17, UK

Lancashire Lightning raced to a target of 162 to beat Essex Eagles by seven wickets and set up a Vitality Blast semi-final with Yorkshire Vikings - after a game in which Phil Salt and Michael Pepper were involved in each other's dismissals.

Steven Croft (76no off 48) and skipper Dane Vilas (51 off 23) powered Lancashire to a record-equalling ninth Finals Day, with Lightning to meet Roses rivals Yorkshire in the second semi-final at Edgbaston on July 16.

The sides' clashes in the group stage were thrillers - a tie and a four-run win for Lancashire - and they will now square off again next weekend after Lightning eased to victory over Essex with 4.2 overs to spare.

Croft shared quick-fire stands of 73 with Salt (27 off 21) and 78 with Vilas for the second and third wickets respectively after Keaton Jennings (0) was run out at the non-striker's end without facing a ball as Essex seamer Sam Cook tipped a Salt drive onto the stumps.

Salt was out to a superb relay catch on the deep midwicket boundary, with an off-balance Pepper throwing the ball to team-mate Ben Allison to complete the grab before he stepped on the rope.

That wicket was revenge for Pepper, who had been stumped by Lancashire wicketkeeper Salt while top-scoring with 36 from 28 deliveries in Essex's 161-5 at Emirates Old Trafford.

Plenty of Essex batters contributed without making substantial scores.

Adam Rossington hit 25 off 19 up top while Paul Walter (34no off 27) and Daniel Sams (25no off 17) impressed at the backend, slamming an unbroken 49 from 31 balls for the sixth wicket.

Left-arm seamer Luke Wood (2-28 from four overs) led a disciplined Lancashire attack while Salt was slick with the gloves, adding the stumping of Tom Westley (5) to his earlier one of Pepper.

Croft then smoked a 32-ball fifty for Lancashire - but that would be bettered by Vilas, whose half-century came from just 22 deliveries.

Vilas fell to Simon Harmer with five runs required but Croft and Tim David (4no) took Lancashire home with 26 balls remaining as they joined Yorkshire and Hampshire Hawks at Finals Day.

The last quarter-final takes place on Saturday as Somerset welcome Derbyshire Falcons to Taunton, with the winner of that match to face Hampshire in the first semi-final on Saturday week.

Croft lauds 'clinical' Lancashire

Player of the Match, Steven Croft: "Thankfully it wasn't too much of a close one. It was a great team performance. We bowled really well and kept them 15-20 runs under par. I thought we also batted really well.

"Salty and myself took it on, and Dane came in and played a blinding knock. He came in and took the pressure off me. We took the game away from them. It was a clinical performance.

"It will be a great game against Yorkshire. We have a good historical record against them."

Essex captain, Simon Harmer: "We knew we had to bowl well but hats off to Crofty and Dane. They were great knocks. That's what knockout games are about. You need people to put their hands up and they did it.

"There are a lot of things you could pull apart. They were a lot fuller with their slower balls, and we were a touch short. We also lost wickets at crucial stages. It didn't happen for us. We were beaten by the better team."

Watch the last Vitality Blast quarter-final live on Sky Sports Cricket on Saturday as Somerset host Derbyshire Falcons. Coverage begins at 6.30pm with the first ball at 7pm.

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