Northamptonshire, Essex, Lancashire secure Vitality Blast wins in 2026

Northamptonshire, Essex, and Lancashire all secured vital T20 Blast victories to boost their tournament standings.

Northants dominate Worcestershire David Willey celebrated his 50th game as Northamptonshire Steelbacks captain by leading them to a sixth straight Vitality Blast win, defeating Worcestershire Rapids at Wantage Road. Willey contributed 2-28 with the ball before top-scoring with 47 from 33 deliveries, combining with Justin Broad for a crucial 69-run stand to surpass 5,000 T20 career runs. The Steelbacks maintained their unbeaten run with a six-wicket victory under the DLS method, while Willey equalled Alex Wakely’s club record of 133 T20 appearances. Northamptonshire sit top of the Central and West Group with six wins from six, while Worcestershire dropped to fourth after their third loss. ## Lancashire end losing streak Lancashire snapped a three-game losing streak with a seven-wicket win over Durham in a rain-reduced 10-over match at Chester-le-Street. Liam Livingstone starred with an unbeaten 85 off 31 balls, including eight sixes and four successive sixes off Kasey Aldridge’s bowling, to guide his team to chase down 129. Durham’s openers Graham Clark (49 not out) and Alex Lees (42) set a strong foundation with a 94-run partnership in the eighth over before Livingstone struck. Lancashire finished on 130-3 with five balls remaining, lifting them off the bottom of the North Group table with eight points. ## Essex edge past Kent Charlie Allison continued his impressive run with a career-best 74 as Essex secured their fourth consecutive victory, narrowly defeating Kent by three runs at Chelmsford. Jordan Cox made a memorable debut for Essex, scoring 40 on his first appearance of the summer following IPL and England Lions duties. Kent’s chase of 188 was derailed by early wickets from Charlie Bennett, despite Sam Billings’ 62 and a late 34-run last-wicket stand led by Jake Lintott and Fred Klaassen. Essex now lead the South Group by four points, heading into the Blast’s two-and-a-half-week break. ## Worcestershire’s collapse Worcestershire Rapids posted 154-5 from 18 overs after being put in to bat, with a second-wicket stand of 62 from 48 balls between Gareth Roderick and Brett D’Oliveira. Sikandar Raza top-scored with an unbeaten 36 from 24 deliveries, but James Sales claimed 3-34 as both openers fell in quick succession. Zaib held a high catch to dismiss Roderick, turning the game in Northamptonshire’s favor. Chris Lynn then launched a destructive 37 from 18 balls, including two sixes in Tom Taylor’s over, setting up the Steelbacks’ successful chase of a revised target. ## Livingstone’s record-breaking innings Liam Livingstone’s unbeaten 85 off 31 balls not only powered Lancashire to victory but also broke the record for most sixes by a Lancashire batter in T20 history, with 163 sixes surpassing Steven Croft’s previous mark. His innings included eight maximums, with four consecutive sixes off Aldridge’s seam bowling showcasing his dominance. Livingstone admitted his team had been lacking fight in recent matches but silenced critics with this performance. The win boosted Lancashire’s quarter-final hopes and moved them off the bottom of the North Group. ## Essex’s resilient batting display Essex’s innings began shakily with early dismissals of openers Michael Pepper and Paul Walter in the powerplay, leaving them at 23-2. Jordan Cox and Charlie Allison steadied the innings with a crucial partnership, helping Essex post a competitive 187-6. Kent’s reply started slowly but recovered with Zak Crawley and Sam Billings adding 37 runs in quick time. However, Zaman Akhtar and Matt Critchley’s wickets shifted momentum back to Essex, who held on for a three-run victory as Kent finished 184-9.