Steelbacks targeting top four finish as they head to Lancashire on Blast 'Super Sunday'

Northants face a final day trip to Old Trafford to take on Lancashire Lightning (start 2.30pm) needing to win to keep alive their hopes of a top four finish - but they know even that may not be enough.

With the Steelbacks not in action, Friday night's results were kind to John Sadler and his team to keep them in the running for the play-offs, but as well as winning in the north west the County need other results to go their way as well.

As well as the small matter of beating Lightning, the Steelbacks also Notts Outlaws and Derbyshire Falcons to lose their home fixtures, against rock-bottom Leicestershire Foxes and already-qualified Worcestershire Rapids respectively.

If Notts and Derbyshire lose and the Steelbacks win, then Northants will jump up from seventh to finish fourth by virtue of a better net run-rate than Notts.

So, it is clearly a tall order, particularly when you factor in Lancashire haven't lost a home T20 match since 2020.

But the fact the Steelbacks have a chance of qualifying going into the final fixture is something of an achievement considering they lost five of their seven home fixtures.

Sadler and skipper David Willey have named a 15-man squad for the trip to Old Trafford, and there is still no place for former skipper Josh Cobb, who says he has fully recovered from his calf strain. Young all-rounder Gus Miller is included.

Second-placed Lancashire have already qualified for the quarter-finals, but need a win to guarantee a home tie in the last eight.

Their home record in the competition is exceptional, and opening batter Jos Buttler said: “Our record here adds a lot of value to having a home quarter-final. We like playing here.

“For the club, having a home quarter-final would be fantastic. We’ll try and fill this place out if that happens.”

The two sides met at the County Ground back on June 16, with Lancashire cruising to a 35-run win off the back of a career-best 101 from Steven Croft.

The Steelbacks came very close to winning at Old Trafford last summer, eventually going down by two wickets with one ball remaining.

Lancashire as always have an array of international talent at their disposal, including England white ball stars Buttler, Liam Livingstone, Phil Salt, Luke Wood and Matt Parkinson, as well as overseas signings Dane Vilas, Daryl Mitchell and Colin De Grandhomme.

Steelbacks squad: Willey, Broad, Gay, Heldreich, Lynn, McManus, Miller, Russell, Sanderson, Sales, Tye, Taylor, Vasconcelos, G White, Zaib

Lightning squad: Livingstone, Aspinwall, Batley, Bell, Blatherwick, Buttler, Croft, De Grandhomme, Hartley, Jones, Mitchell, Parkinson, Salt, Vilas, Wells, Wood