Cooke late blitz earns Glamorgan dramatic win

Vitality Blast Men, Stanley Park, Blackpool

Lancashire Lightning: 201-7

Glamorgan: 202-8

Glamorgan win by two wickets

Glamorgan 4 points, Lancashire 0 points

Scorecard

Glamorgan snatched an incredible last-ball victory in Blackpool despite a vintage all-round performance by Liam Livingstone, to deepen Lancashire's gloom at the bottom of the North Group.

Livingstone had followed a spectacular innings of 81 from 37 balls, including eight sixes which equalled Lancashire's record in the format, by taking three for 13 from four overs with his unusual combination of leg and off breaks, including a wicket maiden in the 17th.

Glamorgan seemed dead and buried at 161 for eight after the first ball of the 19th over, needing 41 off the last 11.

But Chris Cooke responded with an astonishing innings of 44 from 13 balls, including five sixes – and with four needed from the last ball from Luke Wood, Timm van der Gugten ramped over third man for the match-winning boundary.

Wood, whose last over also included a no-ball, ended with the grim figures of one for 62 from his four overs – as Glamorgan claimed their third win in six Blast matches to climb up the Central and West table, leaving Lancashire with four defeats out of five.

Livingstone's innings had been spectacular, after Glamorgan won the toss and chose to field in blustery conditions, with umpires Steve O'Shaughnessy and Hasan Adnan pleasing the crowd by keeping the players on despite some heavy drizzle.

He stroked his first ball wide of mid-off for four, and launched his fifth for his first six – the first of four that flew over the wall of Blackpool cricket club and into Stanley Park.

Livingstone's fireworks were given context as partners came and went at the other end – Ben McDermott, Matty Hurst and Joe Moores all falling in single figures, as Jimmy Neesham showed his nous for Glamorgan to earn three for 24.

Livingstone reached his 50 from 28 balls having hit four of his sixes, and then set about Nathan McAndrew in the 17th over with three consecutive maximums, over long leg, long on and finally deep mid wicket – again into the park.

McAndrew had the consolation of ending the carnage when Livingstone holed out to long on – but Harry Singh chipped in with three more sixes in a handy knock of 26 from 16 balls which took Lancashire's total beyond 200.

That looked set to be more than enough despite a bright start from Glamorgan with Kiran Carlson, Will Smale and Ben Kellaway all making handy contributions, and Sean Dickson hitting three sixes in a 31-ball 44.

But Cooke and van der Gugten had other ideas.

Glamorgan's Chris Cooke said: "It's always special when you win off the last ball of the game – these are the memories you're going to take with you.

"We'd spoken about treating this like a quarter final, and that's two games we've won off the last ball now which is a good sign for going deeper into the tournament.

"Things like this can happen on a ground like this – it just takes a few sixes. You've got to back your technique – there's no second guessing."

Lancashire's Liam Livingstone said: "The game's all about winning and if you don't win it doesn't really matter what you do. I'd rather have bowled two overs for 50 and got a duck to be honest. I don't really know how we've lost it.

"We can't make any excuses – we should be winning these games of cricket, that's the simple fact. We've got to get better."

Report supplied by ECB Reporters' Network supported by Rothesay.