Jos Buttler Blasts back in Lancashire victory over Worcestershire in Blackpool

The Red Rose chased 178 to seal victory over the North Group leaders with three balls remaining at Stanley Park.

Opener Buttler posted only his second 50 in 14 T20 innings, hitting five fours and three sixes.

But this was far from an easy chase, one thrown into doubt when Buttler and hometown hero Steven Croft, run out for 40, fell in the space of three balls in the 15th over to leave Lancashire 114 for four.

But New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell, a league pro at Stanley Park in 2016, got the Lightning home with a crucial 33 not out off 14 balls, having earlier taken three for nine from two overs of seam.

Worcestershire, who lost for the second time in six games, had posted 177 for nine with 42 off 29 balls for Adam Hose and 57 off 33 for New Zealander Mitchell Santner, though no-one else reached 20.

Hose and Santner shared 59 inside six overs for the fourth wicket to advance from 65 for three in the ninth over after openers Brett D’Oliveira and Michael Bracewell had been caught.

Santner offered relatively straightforward catches to Mitchell and Rob Jones on seven and 10, then scored the lion’s share of 28 off Colin de Grandhomme in the 18th over, which included three sixes.

Either side of that over, Mitchell removed Kashif Ali, Ben Cox and Ed Pollock as the the score fell to 173 for seven in the 19th.

Cox and Pollock were both caught by Croft. The first was a stunner, the Blackpool-born veteran diving away to his left at mid-off.

Santner reached a 30-ball 40 in that blitz against De Grandhomme, whose spell was the most expensive in Lancashire T20 history: two for 57 off four overs.

In the early stages of Lancashire’s chase, Buttler dragged Adam Finch over wide mid-on for four before scooping Pat Brown for six over fine-leg and easing him through midwicket for four next ball.

At the end of Lancashire’s fifth over, Buttler’s opening partner Phil Salt chipped Dillon Pennington to mid-on before Luke Wells miscued Finch high to square-leg in the next to leave the Red Rose 38 for two.

Buttler and Croft struggled for momentum as the scored moved to 59 for two after 10 overs. Buttler then hit back-to-back sixes off Pat Brown on his way to 50 off 37 balls. Fifty four runs came off the next four overs before a hiccup.

Buttler edged Pennington behind and Croft was run out following a mix-up with captain Liam Livingstone.

Mitchell then hit a straight six off Santner’s left-arm spin to take the target to 31 off three overs at 147 for four.

But Livingstone (23) drilled Brown to mid-off before the England seamer had Tom Hartley brilliantly caught and bowled next ball. At 157 for six, Lancashire needed 21 off 14 balls.

But that target was reduced to four in the last over, Mitchell wrapping up Lancashire’s fourth victory in eight games with a straight driven boundary.