Ashwell Prince stepped up once again, top-scoring with 62, to lead Lancashire through to the semifinals of the T20 Blast in England in a dramatic tied match.
Lancashire went through on the basis that they lost fewer wickets: six to Kent’s 10. But it was a nail-biter after Prince was dismissed with two overs to go.
Chasing 142 for victory, Prince had to dig deep as his teammates fell cheaply, leaving Lancashire precariously poised at 57-3 after nine overs. But he finally got support from England’s Ashes hero Jos Buttler, and they put on 73 for the fourth wicket, when Prince fell, 12 short of the target with 11 balls to go. He had put in a lot of effort taking quick singles and running hard: from his 50 balls, he had struck just 26 via the boundary, with five fours and a six.
Buttler followed soon after, the second of three wickets to fall for nine runs, and the match ended tied.
This brings Prince’s runs in the T20 Blast to 398 from 14 innings. He has blown hot and cold:: four times he has gone over fifty. but he averages 30.61with strike rate of 131.78.
Lancashire will play Hampshire in the semifinal in finals day at Edgbaston.
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