Big-hitting Livingstone seals Lancs win over Kent

Emirates Old Trafford quarter-final Vitality Blast

Kent Spitfires 153 (20 overs): Denly 28, Wood 3-29

Lancashire Lightning 156-7 (18.3 overs): Livingstone 85*, Jones 28, Klaassen 3-14

By three wickets, Lancashire won.

With a score of 85 from 45 balls, Livingstone’s best T20 Blast of the year, Lancashire’s win over Kent at Old Trafford secured their place in the Finals.

After losing two early wickets, the all-rounder struggled again at 118-6 in search of their 154 target with his nerve to seal victory with nine deliveries to spare.

Livingstone and fellow spinner Tom Hartley (11) stifled the Spitfires’ innings earlier, while left-arm paceman Luke Wood took 3-29 while playing a crucial role with the ball with the ball.

After losing three of their previous four games at this point, Kent seamer Fred Klaassen scored 3-14, but Lancashire made it a point to earn a last-four meeting with either Somerset or the Bears on Saturday at Edgbaston.

The Spitfires’ start was less than ideal because Tawanda Muyeye, the tournament’s third-highest run-scorer, drove Wood’s opening delivery straight into mid-off after winning the toss and choosing to bat.

On his return to the Kent side, Zak Crawley hit a number of straight boundaries before being caught behind after a misjudged a hook off Jack Blatherwick’s slower ball to leave the visitors 65-3.

However, Kent struggled to form partnerships as a result of the introduction of Sam Billings and Joe Denly, who both bowled in tandem.

As wickets continued to fall at the death, Joey Evison (27 from 24) and Grant Stewart (25 from 15) made their best efforts to lower the tempo before being pegged back by a handy two-over stint of 2-12 from Tom Aspinwall.

In the final over, Wood dismissed Klaassen and last man Nathan Gilchrist, giving the innings a total that looked below par, but Kent’s tail did enough to clamber above the 150 mark.

However, Lancashire’s situation quickly deteriorated to 5-2 in reply, with Phil Salt caught in the middle before a Klaassen ball hit Luke Wells on the pads and trickling down his back leg onto the stumps.

Livingstone slammed Nathan Gilchrist for a leg-side six before being denied entry when a short ball veered onto his helmet, and hit the next delivery for a maximum of six more times.

With 22 from 14 before heaved Evison to deep midwicket, Ashton Turner proved a capable foil for Livingstone, even though skipper Keaton Jennings also departed and was caught at backward square off Klaassen.

Livingstone had already scored 25 runs in a single over to send three enormous sixes to keep Lancashire on course by the time he reached half-century.

In three deliveries, The Spitfires leg-spinner struck twice, sending Hartley for a duck and Michael Jones (28 from 17) to put pressure on Livingstone.