CRICKET: Lancashire prepare for One-Day Cup opener

Lancashire Cricket are gearing up for their opening Royal London One-Day Cup fixture against Worcestershire at Emirates Old Trafford tomorrow.

They will be hoping for a better result in the competition this year, after finishing sixth in the North Group last term, with three wins, four defeats and a no-result.

The Red Rose kicked off the 2019 season with a seven-wicket win over Middlesex in the County Championship at Lord’s on Sunday, thanks to Glenn Maxwell’s 5-40 in the second innings.

It is expected that Maxwell will play a crucial role in this year’s 50-over campaign as he prepares for the World Cup which starts in late May. The 30-year-old is known worldwide for his destructive playing style with the bat and has already proved in the County Championship this year that he is more than useful with the ball.

THE OPPONENTS

Worcestershire enjoyed success in the white-ball game last year, by triumphing in the Vitality Blast, beating the Sussex Sharks in the final at Edgbaston.

The Pears missed out on a Lord’s final last year as they were knocked out in the semi-final of the One-Day Cup by Kent, despite an unbeaten 122 from Ben Cox and contributions from Brett D’Oliveira and Ed Barnard.

The Blackfinch New Road outfit will be going into this match on a high too following the innings victory of Leicestershire in the County Championship at the weekend.

New Zealander Hamish Rutherford has been made available for their first five One-Day Cup matches. However, they will be without England international, Moeen Ali, who is on Indian Premier League duty, but 2018 semi-final stars – Cox, D’Oliveira and Barnard – are expected to play.

Lancashire squad to play Worcestershire: Dane Vilas (c), James Anderson, Josh Bohannon, Steven Croft, Brooke Guest, Haseeb Hameed, Keaton Jennings, Rob Jones, Saqib Mahmood, Glenn Maxwell, Graham Onions, Matt Parkinson, Stephen Parry.