Old Trafford mein khela gaya yeh match Northants ke liye ek aur saboot tha ki woh North Group mein sabse mazboot team hai. George Scrimshaw aur Lloyd Pope ki shandaar bowling ne Lancashire ke batting line-up ko dhvast kar diya, jabki David Willey ne apne all-round performance se team ko aage rakha.
Match ki shuruaat mein Northants ne pehle batting ki aur 180/6 ka score banaya. David Willey ne 37 runs banaye, jo ek captain ke liye ek solid contribution tha, jabki Ricardo Vasconcelos (32 off 15) aur Lewis McManus (28 off 16) ne tezi se runs jode. Yeh score shayad bahut bada nahi tha, lekin Old Trafford ke pitch par, jahan ball thodi swing karti hai, yeh defend karna mumkin tha. Lancashire ke bowlers, jaise James Anderson, jo 11 saal baad T20 Blast mein wapas aaye the, ne kuch acchi bowling ki, lekin Northants ke batsmen ne unhe zyada damage nahi karne diya.
Chase mein Lancashire ke liye cheezein shuru se hi mushkil ho gayi. George Scrimshaw, jo apne tezi aur bounce ke liye jaane jaate hain, ne 4 wickets for 19 runs lekar Lancashire ke top order ko tabah kar diya. Unki yeh performance unke career ki best T20 bowling figures thi. Lloyd Pope, jo Australia se Northants mein ek replacement player ke roop mein aaye hain, ne bhi 2 wickets for 27 runs lekar apna impact dikhaya. David Willey ne bhi ek wicket liya aur apne leadership se team ko ekjut rakha. Lancashire ke batsmen, jaise Keaton Jennings, jinhone is season mein County Championship mein shandaar batting ki hai (706 runs with three centuries), is baar pressure mein nahi chal sake.
Yeh match Northants ke liye ek aur mile-stone tha, kyunki unhone apna 100% record maintain rakha North Group mein. David Willey, jo pehle England ke liye T20 World Cup mein khel chuke hain, ne is match mein dikha diya ki woh kyun ek world-class all-rounder hain. Unka experience aur leadership Northants ke liye game-changer raha hai, jaise unhone 2022 T20 World Cup mein England ke liye kiya tha, jahan unki swing bowling aur aggressive batting ne team ko final tak le jaane mein madad ki thi.
Northants ki yeh jeet unke teamwork ka nateeja thi. Vasconcelos aur McManus ke quick runs ne team ko ek fighting total tak pahunchaya, aur bowlers ne uska bharpoor fayda uthaya. Yeh performance yaad dilati hai 2009 ke T20 Blast ke, jab Northants ne apne aggressive approach se sabko chaunka diya tha, lekin final mein haar gaye. Is baar, aisa lagta hai ki team ke paas woh consistency hai jo unhe trophy tak le ja sakti hai.
Lekin Lancashire ke liye yeh ek aur disappointing din tha. Ek team jo County Championship mein pehle promotion ke liye favorite maani jaati thi, ab T20 Blast mein bhi struggle kar rahi hai. James Anderson, jinhone apne career mein 700 Test wickets liye hain, is season mein T20 mein apna magic dikhane ki koshish kar rahe hain, lekin team ka overall performance unhe support nahi kar raha. Keaton Jennings aur Josh Bohannon jaise batsmen, jo County Championship mein runs bana rahe hain, T20 ke format mein apni form ko repeat nahi kar pa rahe. Lancashire ke fans, jo 2011 ke T20 Blast title ke baad se ek aur trophy ke liye taras rahe hain, shayad ab thodi ummeed kho chuke hain.
