Rehan Ahmed stars for Leicestershire as Lancashire's winning streak ends

Rehan Ahmed gave the Lancashire Lightning a run for their money by hitting three for 16 in four overs and then a crucial 27 as Leicestershire Foxes broke through the fortress at Emirates Old Trafford to win the Vitality Blast. Ahmed, a legspinner and all-rounder, will play for England in their T20I series against the West Indies later this week. On a used pitch, he held the Lightning to 145 for seven, which was the best performance of the season across all formats. He bamboozled a home batting line-up which saw opener Keaton Jennings top-score with 39 off 19 balls before Chris Green added a crucial 36 not out off 29 late on. The 20-year-old then came in with Leicestershire's chase in limbo at 47 for three in the sixth over and contributed again to a five-wicket win with nine balls remaining, hitting two fours and a six in 23 balls. The Foxes have now won two and lost one at the start of the North Group, while Lancashire's three-game winning start came to an end with a first defeat. In T20 history, Lancashire have won 89 of 124 matches at Emirates Old Trafford, losing only 31. However, Leicestershire has won this contest on six occasions since 2003, making them the most successful visiting county. The Red Rose, who later employed four spinners, got a taste of their own medicine when spin took six of the seven home wickets. Leicestershire 149 for 5 (Kimber 40, Cox 38*) beat Lancashire 145 for 7 (Jennings 39, Green 36, Rehan 3-16)