Lancashire Lightning 183 for six (Wells 66) beat Derbyshire Falcons 179 for five (Madsen 50, Wood 3-31) by 4 wickets

Lancashire Lightning beat Derbyshire Falcons by 4 wickets to begin the 2023 Vitality Blast marketing campaign as they goal to finish it - with victory at Edgbaston.

The Blast will conclude in Birmingham with Finals Day on July 15 and Lightning took a powerful first step in direction of that showpiece with a win within the first half of the inaugural Blast Off opener within the Second City sunshine.

Second-wicket pair Luis Reece (23 off 21) and Madsen added 64 in 48 balls earlier than the previous fell lbw to Tom Hartley. Madsen struck 4 sixes on his method to a 34-ball fifty however perished subsequent ball when he lifted Danny Lamb to Hartley at deep midwicket.

Leus du Plooy clubbed three sixes in a 16-ball 33 then fell in pursuit of one other when he holed out to Wood. Anuj Dal and Aneurin Donald related with a blow or two and, after Mattie McKiernan clouted Tom Bailey for a last-over six, solely the openers had did not clear the ropes. The suspicion was, nevertheless, that it was a 200-pitch and the Falcons have been a number of brief - and so it proved.

Even with out star batters Keaton Jennings (injured) and Phil Salt, Liam Livingstone and Jos Buttler (IPL-duty) Lightning reeled of their goal.

They began briskly as Pakistan fast Zaman Khan suffered a bracing welcome to the Blast. His first ball was hoisted far over lengthy leg for six by Wells in an over that went for 18. Zak Chappell's opening over then went for 15 because the Lightning thundered to 44 in three overs.

Opening pair Wells and George Bell added 59 from 26 balls earlier than the latter spliced Khan to mid on. Steven Croft was run out after discovering himself on the similar finish as Wells however the opener thrashed a 24-ball fifty and left his facet very strongly positioned, needing 68 from ten overs, when he fell in acquainted Blast style, caught within the leg-side deep.

Daryl Mitchell's cleanly-hit 31 off 19 balls stored Lightning's foot on the Falcons' throat and victory was closed out with extra consolation than a last-over end suggests.