Lancashire vs Leicestershire — Leicestershire won by 2 wickets (with 1 ball remaining)

Leicestershire Scrape Home in Last-Ball Thriller at Old Trafford

Leicestershire won by 2 wickets (with 1 ball remaining) in the 25th match of 112 in the T20 Blast 2026 at Old Trafford, Manchester. Leicestershire somehow dragged themselves over the line despite a dramatic late collapse, denying Lancashire a victory that Saqib Mahmood‘s brilliant spell deserved. Both sides sit on 4 points – Lancashire 14th (P3, W1, L2) and Leicestershire 15th (P4, W1, L3) – making this a genuine relegation battle in the North Group.

First Innings: Lancashire 145/9 (20 overs)

Lancashire’s innings was a tale of one man against the bowling attack. Matthew Hurst fell for 1 in the first over, caught off Josh Davey, and the early damage continued when Keaton Jennings was bowled for 10 at 25/2 in the fourth over. Liam Livingstone came and went quickly – 15 off 11 balls with three fours before being caught at 27/3 in the powerplay.

Ben McDermott struggled to 6 off 10 balls before falling at 36/4, leaving Lancashire in deep trouble at the end of the sixth over. Enter Joe Moores. The left-hander rebuilt the innings with a composed 55 off 39 balls, mixing four fours with three sixes at a strike rate of 141. He found an able partner in Chris Green, who contributed 28 off 23 balls with three fours – the pair adding 80 for the fifth wicket to haul Lancashire back into the contest.

Moores’ dismissal at 116/5 in the 16th over triggered a collapse. Tom Hartley went for a duck two balls later (122/7), Harry Singh was run out for 8 at 138/8, and George Balderson hit a useful 14 off 11 before being bowled off the final ball. Thomas Aspinwall finished 0 not out as Lancashire limped to 145/9.

Liam Trevaskis was the pick of the Leicestershire bowlers with 4-0-20-2 at an economy of 5. Ian Holland was even more miserly – 4-0-18-1 at 4.5 an over. Ashton Turner chipped in with 4-0-28-1, while Josh Davey (3-0-25-2) and Ben Green (4-0-41-2) both took two wickets despite being more expensive.

Second Innings: Leicestershire 146/8 (19.5 overs)

The chase started brightly. Ben Mike smashed 21 off just 12 balls with a four and two sixes at a strike rate of 175, but his dismissal at 23/1 brought the first wobble. Stevie Eskinazi anchored one end with 14 off 19 before falling at 55/2, and Rishi Patel then took charge.

Patel played the innings of the chase – 40 off 27 balls with four fours and two sixes at a strike rate of 148. He looked like he would see Leicestershire home, but his caught dismissal at 92/3 in the 12th over shifted the momentum. Nick Kelly (29 off 30) and Ashton Turner (21 off 15 at 140 SR) steadied things, pushing the score to 131/4 in the 17th over.

Then came the collapse that nearly cost Leicestershire the match. Kelly was bowled at 131/5 (16.6 overs), Turner caught at 131/6 (17.1), and Ben Green caught at 131/7 (17.2) – three wickets for zero runs in four balls. Suddenly Leicestershire needed 15 from 17 balls with only three wickets in hand. Ben Cox (1) and Liam Trevaskis (1) fell cheaply, leaving the score at 134/8.

Ian Holland (7 not out off 5 balls) and Josh Davey (6 not out off 3 balls) held their nerve superbly, scrambling 12 from the final nine balls to clinch the win with one ball to spare.

Saqib Mahmood was magnificent in a losing cause – 4-0-22-3 at an economy of 5.5. George Balderson matched him with 4-0-21-2 at 5.25. Chris Green bowled tidily for 4-0-27-1, while Tom Hartley took 1-29 from his four overs. Liam Livingstone went for 35 from his three overs despite taking a wicket.

Statz MVP: Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire)

Mahmood’s Statz MI Rating of 98.02 makes him the clear MVP – in defeat. His 4-0-22-3 was the best bowling performance of the match by some distance, and the Statz rating system calculates impact based on match context. He nearly dragged Lancashire to victory with his control and wicket-taking ability. No official Man of the Match was awarded.

Top 5 Statz Ratings

Turning Point

Nick Kelly bowled at 131/5 in over 16.6. Kelly had been the anchor of the middle-order chase with 29 off 30, and his dismissal triggered a catastrophic collapse – three wickets fell for zero runs in four deliveries. Leicestershire went from cruising at 131/4 to clinging on at 134/8. Only the composure of Holland and Davey in the final overs saved the chase.

Match Context

Match 25 of 112 in the T20 Blast 2026. Lancashire sit 14th in the standings (P3, W1, L2, 4 points) and Leicestershire 15th (P4, W1, L3, 4 points). Neither side can afford many more defeats if they want to reach the quarter-finals. For Lancashire, it is back-to-back losses despite Mahmood’s heroics. Leicestershire will take the points but know they were fortunate to escape Old Trafford with a win.

Full scorecard on Statz