Lancashire Lightning are through to Finals Day and – 10 years on from their first – will get the chance to win their second Vitality Blast title next Saturday having beaten Kent Spitfires by three wickets chasing 154 in an engaging Emirates Old Trafford quarter-final. 

England fringe fast bowler Luke Wood struck with the first ball of a contest which saw the Spitfires scramble to 153 all out in 20 overs, the left-armer finishing with an excellent three for 29. 

No Kent batter reached 30 and were unable to deny a Lightning side also including star man Liam Livingstone, Sir James Anderson and Phil Salt a 10th Finals Day appearance.

Like Wood, fellow England international Livingstone was key to Lancashire’s victory in front of a 12,000 plus crowd. Having returned two for 21 from four overs of spin, he helped recover their chase from five for two with a brilliantly destructive 85 not out off 45 balls with seven sixes. The hosts won with nine balls remaining. 

Livingstone is the only member of today’s Lancashire team which won the Blast in 2015. 

Lightning made the perfect start, as Wood had Tawanda Muyeye caught at mid-off with the first ball of the match. It was the second time he had struck with the first ball of an innings in this campaign.

Kent then scored runs at a decent rate but lost wickets at key moments. 

Daniel Bell-Drummond miscued Anderson to backward point, Zak Crawley was caught behind having gloved a pull at Jack Blatherwick and Livingstone’s first ball ousted a sweeping Sam Billings caught at deep square-leg, leaving the score at 71 for four in the ninth over.

Joe Denly had started nicely, including lofting Blatherwick’s first ball for six over long-off.

But he also fell – on 28 – to strengthen Lancashire’s grip at 81 for five after 10 overs, miscuing a similar shot to long-off against Tom Hartley’s left-arm spin.

The trend continued. Joey Evison muscled sixes off the spin but fell for 27 to a smart boundary catch at long-off from Wood off Livingstone with the score on 115 in the 15th.

Grant Stewart also hit two sixes in a brisk 25 before playing on to Tom Aspinwall, who struck twice with his seamers. And Kent had to try and bat the overs out, which they did. 

Still, their total had the feeling of being well short after Wood struck twice in the last over to remove Fred Klaassen and Nathan Gilchrist caught at deep midwicket.

But visiting hopes were raised as they reduced the Lightning to five for two inside two overs of the chase as Stewart’s seam had Salt caught at deep backward square-leg pulling and Klaassen’s left-armers forced Luke Wells to play on off his thigh pad. 

Klaassen was superb for three for 14 from four overs.

Livingstone, on 15, top-edged a pull at Nathan Gilchrist into the back of his neck shortly afterwards and underwent a concussion check but carried on. 

He lost captain Keaton Jennings caught on the scoop against the outstanding pace of Klaassen – 31 for three in the fifth over – before taking the sting out of the situation in dynamic fashion.

He took on the leg-spin of former county colleague Matthew Parkinson, three times smashing him over long-on for six in the ninth over as he reached his first fifty of this season’s Blast off 25 balls and took the score to 84 for three.

Experienced Australian Ashton Turner holed out off Evison almost immediately afterwards, but Kent desperately needed Livingstone’s wicket.

And it didn’t arrive. 

Even Parkinson getting Michael Jones for 28 off 16 balls and Hartley in the 14th over – 118 for six – wasn’t enough. 

Livingstone hammered Parkinson over long-on – and over The Point conference building – for six more, and Lancashire will play Somerset or the Bears in the semi-final at Edgbaston.

Lancashire all-rounder Liam Livingstone, player-of-the-match, said:

“That was just a very enjoyable afternoon, to be honest.

“It’s always nice to be able to contribute to a team winning, especially at such a crucial stage of the tournament. 

“I feel like the cricket we’ve played over the last however many months this tournament goes on for, we deserve to go to Finals Day. This sometimes is the hardest hurdle to get over because it’s a one-off match and we’ve played 14 games to get here.

“It’s just nice to be able to contribute to the team when it really matters to them.

“I ended up with cramp in both calves, both middle fingers and a sore head! I’m alright. I’ll be fine.

“It’s probably one of the best games of cricket I’ve ever played, to be honest, personally.

“I felt like the ball came out of my hand really nicely. 

“Obviously to be able to steer the team home towards the end there whilst still trying to take on their bowlers as well, I think it was pretty much probably one of the best T20 innings I’ve ever played, which is pretty sweet that it came at that time.

“I’m just over the moon that I could be out there to win the game for the boys and get us to the final.”

Kent captain Sam Billings said: 

“Liam’s an international quality player, and he’s done it for a very long time. That was the difference today.

“We had a lot of guys get starts, and we kept on losing wickets through the middle. I thought, actually, had we got up to 165, that would have been a really tricky chase.

“Fair play, that was a hell of a knock (Livingstone).

“We kept on going (hard with the bat). As soon as two international spinners come on, you probably have to suck it up there. Myself and Joey Evison got out in quick succession. Had we created a partnership, we could have easily got to 167-170 after the start start we got.

“At one point, I felt that we needed to get him out (Livingstone). We took a couple of risks which didn’t quite come off. Off Matt Parkinson, a couple of them went just over the boundary, and another day they’re out. 

“We had to try and kill the game and get him out. That’s why I had to try and get Fred Klaassen back in the game. He did brilliantly today. He bowled beautifully. It was one of those days of fine margins. 

“We started off brilliantly with the ball, but it wasn’t to be.”