Breetzke's Blitz Powers Northamptonshire to Vitality Blast Quarter-Final

Northamptonshire Steelbacks secured a home quarter-final in the Vitality Blast with a thrilling four-wicket victory over Lancashire Lightning at Emirates Old Trafford. Matthew Breetzke's blistering 31-ball 76 proved pivotal in the Steelbacks' chase of 210 for nine.

Lancashire's innings got off to a strong start, with Luke Wells, Phil Salt, and Keaton Jennings all falling to Jack White's accurate bowling. However, Liam Livingstone and Matty Hurst steadied the ship with a 51-run partnership. Livingstone's dismissal to Freddie Heldreich triggered a collapse, with Hurst, George Dockrell, and Steven Croft all departing in quick succession.

Dockrell and Luke Wood helped Lancashire recover to a respectable total, but White's three wickets and contributions from Willey and Sanderson kept the Steelbacks in the hunt.

Northamptonshire's chase began explosively, with Vasconcelos and Breetzke smashing 13 fours and two sixes in the Powerplay. Breetzke reached his fifty off just 19 balls, setting the platform for the Steelbacks' victory.

Vasconcelos' dismissal for 36 brought Wells into the attack, who removed Breetzke for 76 and Saif Zaib for four. Bopara and Willey steadied the innings with a 59-run stand, but Dockrell and Mahmood claimed their wickets to keep Lancashire in the game.

However, Ashton Agar's six off Livingstone sealed the victory for Northamptonshire with eight balls to spare. Wells finished with two wickets for Lancashire, but it was Breetzke's heroics that ultimately proved decisive.

Tags: #VitalityBlast, #NorthamptonshireSteelbacks, #LancashireLightning, #MatthewBreetzke, #JackWhite