Teenage Spinner Tazeem Ali Stars Again as Warwickshire Defeat Lancashire in One-Day Cup
Teenage legspinner Tazeem Ali continued his impressive run in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup, taking 3 for 39 as Warwickshire defeated Lancashire by five wickets at Aigburth. The 17-year-old now has 15 wickets in just five appearances, further strengthening Warwickshire’s bid for a place in the knockout stages.
Chasing 250 on a spin-friendly surface, Warwickshire reached their target with 61 balls to spare, powered by Hamza Shaikh’s 75 and a composed 45 not out from Kai Smith, who shared a match-defining 77-run partnership with Shaikh.
Lancashire Struggle Despite Blatherwick Heroics
Put in to bat, Lancashire posted 249 for 9, thanks to some late resistance from Arav Shetty who hit a quickfire 40 off 30 balls. Jack Blatherwick was the standout for the home side, claiming a career-best 4 for 48, but it wasn’t enough to revive Lancashire’s faltering campaign — now with only one win in seven matches, and already out of contention following their earlier defeat to Durham.
Lancashire’s innings had started positively after the early loss of Michael Jones, who was caught behind off Ethan Bamber without scoring. George Bell and Kesh Fonseka then built a solid platform, adding 87 for the second wicket.
However, Warwickshire spinners dominated from there. Tazeem Ali removed both set batters — Fonseka (43) caught at cover, and Bell (46) lbw attempting a sweep — in quick succession. Tazeem returned to dismiss George Balderson, who pulled straight to Zen Malik, as the hosts lost momentum.
Harry Singh (29) and Marcus Harris (41) added 68 before falling to spinners Rob Yates and Jake Lintott, respectively. Lintott took two wickets in the 49th over, finishing with 2 for 62, while Yates returned 2 for 44.
Shaikh, Malik Lead Comfortable Chase
Warwickshire came out firing in their reply, scoring 44 runs in the first four overs, but were briefly pegged back by Blatherwick’s excellent spell. The pacer dismissed Ed Barnard (21), Rob Yates (23), and former Lancashire man Alex Davies (8) in quick succession to reduce the visitors to 71 for 3.
However, Warwickshire regrouped as Hamza Shaikh and Zen Malik put on 97 for the fourth wicket. Malik brought up his maiden List A fifty off just 39 balls and looked poised for a century before falling for 72, caught on the boundary trying to clear mid-off.
Shaikh remained untroubled, reaching his fifty off 74 balls and guiding his team close to victory before being bowled by Luke Hands with just five runs needed.
Score Summary
Lancashire: 249/9 (Arav Shetty 40, George Bell 46, Jack Blatherwick 4-48, Tazeem Ali 3-39)
Warwickshire: 253/5 in 39.5 overs (Hamza Shaikh 75, Zen Malik 72, Kai Smith 45*; Blatherwick 4-48)
Result: Warwickshire won by 5 wickets
Warwickshire’s latest win places them firmly in the race for the knockouts, while Lancashire are left to reflect on another disappointing outing in a forgettable One-Day Cup campaign.