It’s the oldest and most famous rivalry in English domestic cricket, but unfortunately for Lancashire they head into the first meeting this season with old foes Yorkshire already eliminated from the Royal London One-Day Cup.
That’s despite winning their last two matches which has lifted them up to fifth. Once again a poor start to the campaign has cost Lancashire, winning just one of their first five matches as they strived to find the right balance in team selection.
There has also been a return to form for the likes of Liam Livingstone and a strong comeback for Haseeb Hameed over the last few matches, but that turnaround has come too late to help Lancashire to reach the knockout phase for the first time since 2012.
Positives can be taken from their campaign and none more so than the displays of leg-spinner Matt Parkinson. The 21-year-old played his first List A game for Lancashire at the start of the One-Day Cup but heads into this clash as the top wicket-taker in the whole competition – both North and South – with 16 scalps at 16.06.
He will be a man to be wary of then for a Yorkshire side who know that they may need to win both their remaining fixtures to reach the quarter-finals. Defeat at Old Trafford would end their qualification hopes and make it a straight fight between Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire for the final knockout spot.
Yorkshire have played one game fewer than every other side in the North Group and, like Lancashire, have picked up victories in their last two. David Willey came into the side for their match at Derbyshire following a stint at the IPL and took four wickets to help clinch a crucial win.
The white rose has had the better of the recent rivalry in the one-day format. Yorkshire have won the last three List A meetings and are unbeaten in List A matches at Old Trafford since 2008.
It’s a game that Yorkshire need to win and Lancashire will want to win, if only for bragging rights in this historic rivalry and the chance to land the first blow on the old enemy in the 2018 season.
Key Men
After a difficult start to the summer and a string of low scores to begin the One-Day Cup, Lancashire skipper Liam Livingstone appears to be back to his best. Three successive half-centuries – featuring an unbeaten 90 at Leicestershire and 86 last time out against Derbyshire – have helped Lancashire to back-to-back wins. His spin bowling is becoming and increasingly-useful weapon as well, making him pivotal to Lancashire’s one-day form.
It’s been a sensational competition so far for Tom Kohler-Cadmore. The opener has failed to reach 50 just once out of his five innings, racking up 447 runs, including that brilliant 164 in the first match against Durham. If he continues to fire for these next two matches, Yorkshire have every chance of reaching the knockout phase.
Team News
Glen Chapple names an unchanged Lancashire squad from that victory at Derbyshire, which means Josh Bohannon is likely to continue in the side after making his debut against Warwickshire earlier in the campaign. Karl Brown will be pushing for a recall.
Lancashire Squad: Liam Livingstone (C), Tom Bailey, Josh Bohannon, Karl Brown, Jordan Clark, Steven Croft, Alex Davies, Haseeb Hameed, Rob Jones, Joe Mennie, Graham Onions, Matt Parkinson, Stephen Parry, Dane Vilas (wk)
Ben Coad is rested again but all-rounder David Willey is in the squad. Jonny Tattersall keeps the gloves and Steven Patterson will captain the side for the rest of the competition.
Yorkshire Squad: Steven Patterson (c), Gary Ballance, Tim Bresnan, Harry Brook, Karl Carver, Matthew Fisher, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Adam Lyth, Liam Plunkett, Cheteshwar Pujara, Adil Rashid, Jonny Tattersall (wk), David Willey
Weather and Conditions
It is set to be a glorious afternoon in Manchester for this famous clash. The pitch tends to be good to bat on and Old Trafford hasn’t been used for over two weeks, so expect there to be a fast outfield and a high-scoring game.
Date: 5th June 2018
Time: 11am
Ground: Emirates Old Trafford
Odds (SkyBet): Lancashire 11/10, Yorkshire 8/11
