Lancashire seal semifinal spot with comfortable win

Lancashire conquered Essex by 7 wickets in the third quarterfinal to book their spot in the main elimination round with Yorkshire. It's the 10th Finals Day compartment that Lancashire have figured out how to seal, in the wake of pursuing down the necessary 162 runs in 15.4 overs. Steven Croft's unbeaten 76 and captain Dane Vilas' 23-ball 51 were instrumental in the pursuit. Subsequent to losing Keaton Jennings for a duck, opener Philip Salt got along with Croft for a venturesome 73-run stand in under eight overs. Salt fell after a hand-off get, however Vilas held hands with Croft for a 78-run stand which basically fixed the game for Lancashire as Essex's bowlers were out of replies. Prior, Essex had 53 sudden spikes in demand for the board toward the finish of the Powerplay. The runs kept on streaming in at a consistent speed, with them completing a little more than 160 with commitments through the line-up. Michael Pepper top-scored with 36, however it was a calm innings that came in 34 balls. Paul Walter excessively contributed with an unbeaten 34, yet it was Daniel Sams' late blows for two sixes that gave them the late thrive. That being said, it wasn't enough for Lancashire's batsmen who were large and in charge on Friday (July 8). Brief scores: Essex 161/5 in 20 overs (Adam Rossington 25, Michael Pepper 36, Paul Walter 34*; Luke Wood 2-28) lost to Lancashire 162/3 in 15.4 overs (Philip Salt 27, Steven Croft 76*, Dane Vilas 51) by 7 wickets.