More Blast misery for Steelbacks as they are crushed by Lancashire Lightning

An error-strewn bowling and fielding performance was followed by another calamitous batting display as the Lightning cruised to an emphatic 35-run victory.

It means the Steelbacks' chances of reaching the knockout stages are hanging by a thread, with their only hope being that they win all five of their remaining games, starting with a home date against leaders Notts Outlaws on Sunday.

The night started well as Lightning were initially reduced to 25 for three in the fifth over with England big-hitters Jos Buttler and Phil Salt both back in the dugout.

But Steven Croft's brilliant 101 from 52 balls, helped by some wayward bowling, saw the visitors post 204 for seven and that was too many for a Steelbacks side devoid of any confidence.

England left-arm pace bowler Luke Wood claimed three wickets in the third over, including David Willey for a golden duck, and the chase was as good as over when they slumped to 81 for six.

The Steelbacks did scramble their way to 169 for nine, mainly thanks to the late big-hitting efforts of AJ Tye and Tom Taylor, but this was another dismal home Blast performance in what is turning into a disastrous campaign.

Northants made three changes to the team that slumped to a 30-run defeat at Birmingham Bears last Friday.

Josh Cobb, Alex Russell and James Sales were the players to drop out, with Ricardo Vasconcelos, Ben Sanderson and Justin Broad replacing them - Broad making his debut after signing for the club on Thursday.

Skipper Willey won the toss and chose to bowl, and Sanderson got things off to the perfect start, pinning England white ball skipper Buttler lbw for a six-ball duck in the second over.

Lightning were 10 for one and could have been in bigger trouble only for Saif Zaib to spill a catch from a towering legside hit from Luke Wells.

But Sanderson quickly struck again, and it was Salt to go this time, edging a legside delivery to Lewis McManus behind the stumps and it was 21 for two in the fourth.

It was soon 25 for three when Wells' luck ran out, hammering a Taylor delivery high up into the blue skies and there was no reprieve for the Lightning man as Willey clung on.

At the end of the six-over powerplay, Lightning were 39 for three with New Zealander Daryl Mitchell and Croft at the crease.

And they quickly set about rebuilding their team's innings, with interest!

By the halfway point they had taken the score to 92 for three, with one Freddie Heldreich over - for some reason bowling from the David Capel End with a short legside boundary - going for 20.

Croft brought up his 50 from 28 balls off the last ball of the 11th, and the Steelbacks were on the back foot.

The pair continued to score at a quick rate with the ball flying to all quarters.

They reached their 100 partnership in the 14th over, and Northants' bowlers simply didn't have any answers, with Heldreich in particular taking hefty punishment - his two overs going for 36.

It took the introduction of Broad on his debut to make the breakthrough, with Mitchell attempting a scoop off his fourth ball and sending the ball straight to Chris Lynn at fine leg.

Mitchell departed for 48, with him and Croft having added a damaging 146 in a little more than 12 overs, but that only brought Liam Livingstone to the crease.

Croft brought up his first T20 century in the 19th over, a brilliant effort off just 50 balls, and including five fours and seven sixes.

Livingstone clattered a quickfire 25 not out from 13 balls.

And although Croft was eventually dismissed, hammering an AJ Tye full toss to Zaib at square-leg, Tom Hartley falling in similar fashion and a last-ball run out, the visitors closed on 202 for seven.

It was another error-strewn fielding and bowling performance from the Steelbacks, with pick of the bowlers being Sanderson who finished with two for 29 from his four overs.

It meant Northants needed to get off to a flyer, and openers Emilio Gay and Vasconcelos, with Lynn dropping to three, took the score to 23 in the third, but then it all went downhill, and fast…

Wood claimed three wickets in five balls, with Gay, Vasconcelos and skipper Willey, for a golden duck, all departing.

Gay sent a leading edge high to mid-off, Vasconcelos, a ball after smashing a free-hit over square-leg, was also got a leading edge that was spectacularly caught low down by a diving Wood and Willey edged behind to Buttler.

Steelbacks were 32 for three and in big trouble.

Saif Zaib hammered one sweet straight six off Jack Blatherwick into the seating above the Curo Lounge, but the very next ball was strangled down the leg side, gloving to Buttler and it was 47 for four, going to on to close the powerplay two runs better off.

Broad looked at home at the crease in his first senior innings, and played some nice shots, but he gave his wicket away trying to up the scoring rate, hitting Wells straight to deep mid-off for 14 and at 73 for five in the 10th over that target off 205 was a long, long way off.

Lynn had been given a life when George Bell dropped a straightforward catch at deep square-leg, but the out-of-form Aussie didn’t make the most of it, spooning a simple chance to Wells at fine-leg to go for 21 and leave Steelbacks 81 for six and all but finished.

There was an entertaining rally towards the end from AJ Tye and Taylor, who put on 58 in just five overs, with Tye clubbing 35 from 17 balls.

Taylor did at least end proceedings on a high, hitting the final ball of the match off Wood for six to finish on 40 not out from 27 balls, but it was far too little, a long time too late

Result: Lancashire Lighting 204-7 (Croft 101, Sanderson 2-29) beat Northants Steelbacks 169-9 (Wood 3-39, Taylor 40no, Tye 36) by 35 runs