T20 form can lift Red Rose says Parkinson

Lancashire are hoping their run to Finals Day in the T20 Blast can help boost their form in the County Championship.
Matthew Parkinson in England Lions actionMatthew Parkinson in England Lions action
Matthew Parkinson in England Lions action

Bottom of Division One with only one win from 10 games, the Red Rose county’s campaign has reached its crunch point.

They host second-bottom Worcestershire at Southport, starting on Wednesday, and it is a must-win game.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Lancashire have four to play, one fewer than all of their rivals, and they are 11 points from safety.

Last week they lost by six runs to leaders Surrey at the Oval in a game which they made the majority of the running before falling agonisingly short of chasing 271.

The following day they beat Kent at Canterbury to secure their seventh Finals Day appearance.

That particular performance, says leg-spinner Matthew Parkinson, was a reminder to their critics that the squad are still capable of achieving a positive end to summer.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I think there’s been a small section of the support that’s been questioning the commitment and the desire of the lads because we’ve not had the season we’d like so far,” said the England Lions man.

“But you can see the effort’s there and the class is there when we all perform.

“Fingers crossed we can take this momentum into Finals Day and also into the last four Championship games.

“We have new faces, five or six lads who come into the T20 side. But as a squad, we can take great momentum from this competition.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“After a tough week at the Oval, the lads were keen to bounce back. Kentwas a massive game for us. It was nervy, and I don’t think we like to do things easy. But it was a good performance.”

While Lancashire head to Southport on the back of a Championship defeat, Worcestershire won their last game by an innings against Yorkshire at Scarborough.

But they are set to be without captain Moeen Ali, who scored a double century and took eight wickets with his off-spinners in that fixture, because of England Test duty.

That will be a particularly big blow to The Pears, given the Southport pitch is expected to turn.

Lancashire could hand a four-day debut to bowler Zahir Khan in place of their other overseas bowler Joe Mennie.