Lancashire vs Notts – T20 Blast 2026 Match Report | Statz
Lancashire won by 36 runs in the 17th match of the T20 Blast 2026 at Old Trafford, bouncing back emphatically from their opening defeat to Surrey. Nottinghamshire slipped to two losses from two, with their bowling attack taken apart by Ben McDermott and their chase strangled by Tom Hartley.
First Innings – Lancashire 208/4 (20 overs)
Lancashire won the toss and elected to bat – and made it count. Michael Jones fell cheaply for 1 off 6, caught at 8/1 in just the second over. That brought Keaton Jennings and Matthew Hurst together, and the pair rebuilt beautifully with a stand of 97 that dragged Lancashire from crisis to control.
Jennings struck 51 off 31 balls at a strike rate of 165, smashing 8 fours and a six before falling caught at 105/2 in the 13th over. Hurst followed shortly after for 57 off 40 (4×4, 4×6, SR 143), dismissed at 117/3 in the 14th. Both innings were crucial, but it was the acceleration that followed that turned this from a good score into an imposing one.
McDermott was devastating. His unbeaten 63 off just 27 balls came at a strike rate of 233, laced with 6 fours and 4 sixes. Joseph Moores contributed 13 off 11 before falling at 162/4 in the 18th over, but McDermott and Chris Green (13* off 6) plundered 46 off the last 17 balls to push Lancashire to a mammoth 208/4.
With the ball, Benny Howell was Notts’ most economical bowler, finishing with 4-0-24-1 at an economy of 6.00. Mohammad Ali picked up 2/37 from his four overs. But Dillon Pennington had a day to forget – 3-0-61-0 at an economy of 20.33, getting absolutely carted in the death.
Second Innings – Nottinghamshire 169/9 (20 overs)
George Munsey was the early aggressor for Notts, racing to 37 off 21 balls at a strike rate of 176 with 5 fours and a six. Joe Clarke made 21 off 15 before being bowled, and Tom Moores fell for 6 at 73/3 in the 8th over. When Munsey was caught at 67 in the 8th over, the chase went from competitive to hopeless.
The middle order simply could not keep up with the required rate. Jack Haynes managed just 14 off 15 at a strike rate of 93, slowing things right down. Freddie McCann made 13 off 16, George Linde 14 off 13, and Howell just 2 off 3. From 67/2 to 124/7, Notts lost 5 wickets for 57 runs – a collapse that killed any hopes of a comeback.
Pennington counter-attacked bravely with an unbeaten 37 off 18 (3×4, 2×6, SR 206), but it was too little too late. Hartley was the chief destroyer with superb figures of 4/20 from 3.5 overs at an economy of just 5.22. George Balderson chipped in with 2/35, and Harry Singh was tidy with 1/27 from his four overs at an economy of 6.75.
Statz MVP – Ben McDermott
McDermott takes the Statz MVP award with a match impact rating of 105.31. His unbeaten 63 off 27 balls at a strike rate of 233 was the innings that turned a competitive 145/3 into an imposing 208/4. The Statz rating calculates impact based on match context – and McDermott’s late assault was the defining moment of this match. No official Man of the Match was listed, but there is no argument here.
Top 5 Statz Ratings
| Rank | Player | Team | Rating | Performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ben McDermott | Lancashire | 105.31 | 63* off 27 (SR 233) – match-defining late assault |
| 2 | Tom Hartley | Lancashire | 98.03 | 4/20 (Econ 5.22) – strangled the chase with spin |
| 3 | Dillon Pennington | Nottinghamshire | 77.38 | 37* off 18 + 0/61 bowling – mixed bag |
| 4 | Mohammad Ali | Nottinghamshire | 67.47 | 2/37 bowling + 5* batting |
| 5 | George Munsey | Nottinghamshire | 65.99 | 37 off 21 – best of the Notts batters |
Turning Point
The collapse from 67/2 to 124/7. Munsey’s dismissal at 67 in the 8th over was the moment the chase shifted from competitive to hopeless. After that, Notts lost 5 wickets for 57 runs as Hartley and Balderson tore through the middle order. The required rate climbed beyond reach, and the middle order’s inability to rotate strike – Haynes at 93 SR, McCann at 81 SR – made the equation impossible.
Match Context
Lancashire move to 9th in the table with 4 points from 2 matches (W1 L1, NRR -0.500), bouncing back after their opening loss. Nottinghamshire sit 16th with zero points from two games (W0 L2, NRR -1.929) and need to find form quickly. Northamptonshire, Surrey and Durham lead the way early on with 8 points apiece. Lancashire also dominate this head-to-head 7-2 in the T20 Blast – and this result extends that trend.
Still early days in the Blast – just 17 of 112 matches played – but Notts cannot afford many more performances like this.
Full scorecard: Lancashire vs Nottinghamshire scorecard on Statz
