Livingstone Blitzes 85 Off 31 as Lancashire Chase Down 129 in Nine Overs

Lancashire won by 7 wickets (with 5 balls remaining). In match 52 of 112 in the T20 Blast 2026, Lancashire chased down a rain-revised target of 129 with an over to spare at the Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street. Both sides came into this one in the bottom half of the table, and it was Liam Livingstone who ensured the Red Rose picked up two vital points with one of the innings of the tournament so far.

Full scorecard on Statz

First Innings – Durham: 128/2 (10 overs)

Rain reduced this contest to 10 overs a side, and Durham won the toss and elected to bat first. They made a strong fist of it, too. Alex Lees set the tone with 42 off 24 balls, smashing seven fours at a strike rate of 175 before being bowled with the score on 94 in the eighth over.

Graham Clark was the anchor throughout, finishing unbeaten on 49 off 29 balls with five fours and two sixes for a strike rate of 169. He put on 94 for the first wicket with Lees and then added 21 with Colin Ackermann, who contributed a quickfire 10 off 5 before being caught at 115 in the tenth over. Ben Raine provided late fireworks with 11 not out off just 4 balls, including two fours at a strike rate of 275.

128/2 from 10 overs looked a competitive total. Lancashire’s bowling was expensive across the board – Thomas Aspinwall went for 34 off his two overs (economy 17.00), while Tom Hartley conceded 27 from two. Livingstone picked up 1/35 from three overs but was wayward, sending down six wides. Luke Wood was the most economical with 1/16 from his two overs at 8.00.

Second Innings – Lancashire: 130/3 (9.1 overs)

Lancashire’s chase did not start well. Keaton Jennings was caught for just 1 off 3 balls, falling at 2/1 in the first over. Ben McDermott then made 0 off 3 balls before being bowled to leave Lancashire 40/2 in the fourth over. At that point, the required rate was climbing.

Enter Livingstone. The England all-rounder produced an extraordinary knock of 85 not out off just 31 balls, hitting six fours and eight sixes at a strike rate of 274. He and Michael Jones put on 46 together before Jones was caught for 27 off 15 (three fours, one six, strike rate 180) at 86/3 in the eighth over. By then, the damage was done. Joe Moores came in and hit a four off his third ball as Lancashire crossed the line with 5 balls to spare.

Durham’s bowlers had no answers. Matty Potts went for 23 off 1.1 overs at an economy of 19.71, while Kasey Aldridge conceded 36 from two overs. Nathan Sowter (1/20) and Callum Parkinson (1/21) were the pick of the attack, but Livingstone was in a mood where figures barely mattered.

Statz MVP – Liam Livingstone

Liam Livingstone takes the Statz MVP award with an mi_rating of 157.84. The Statz match impact rating calculates impact based on match context, and Livingstone’s contribution across both disciplines – 85 not out off 31 with the bat and 1/35 with the ball – made him the standout performer by a distance. No official Man of the Match was assigned, but there was only one candidate.

Livingstone’s season numbers are stacking up nicely: across 4 matches he averages an mi_rating of 149.35 with a cumulative total of 597.41. He is in devastating form.

Top 5 Statz Ratings

1. Liam Livingstone (Lancashire) – mi_rating 157.84 – 85* off 31 balls with the bat, 1/35 from 3 overs with the ball. A match-defining all-round display.

2. Graham Clark (Durham) – mi_rating 60.28 – 49* off 29 balls, the backbone of Durham’s innings with five fours and two sixes.

3. Alex Lees (Durham) – mi_rating 56.72 – 42 off 24 balls at the top of the order, setting the platform with seven boundaries.

4. Michael Jones (Lancashire) – mi_rating 37.56 – 27 off 15 balls, a useful contribution alongside Livingstone in the chase.

5. Ben Raine (Durham) – mi_rating 35.34 – 11* off 4 balls in the death overs, plus 0/26 from two overs with the ball.

Turning Point

Lancashire were wobbling at 40/2 after McDermott was bowled in the fourth over. The required rate had crept above 13 an over, and Durham had genuine momentum. What happened next was pure Livingstone. Rather than rebuild cautiously, he attacked from ball one, clearing the ropes eight times to turn a tricky chase into a procession. The dismissals of Jennings and McDermott should have been the springboard Durham needed – instead, they merely set the stage for one of the most brutal counter-attacks of the Blast so far.

Match Context

This was match 52 of 112 in the T20 Blast 2026, with the tournament approaching the halfway mark. Neither side can afford to lose many more. Durham sit 14th with 2 wins from 6 matches (8 points, NRR -0.367), while Lancashire are 16th on the same record (8 points, NRR -1.095) – the worst net run rate in the competition. Lancashire needed this win badly, but their NRR remains a concern if qualification comes down to the wire. Durham, meanwhile, are running out of room and a defeat at home to a side below them in the table will sting.