Flintoff finds form and Pavillion roof

Twenty20 Cup - North Division

The County Ground, Derby
Lancashire 220-5 beat Derbyshire 164-7 by 56 runs

Chris O'Keefe

Andrew Flintoff starred with bat and ball as Lancashire qualified for the final stages of the Twenty20 Cup with an emphatic win at Derby as the Ashes loom large.

Flintoff scored 93 off just 41 balls, including six sixes, as Lancashire posted a massive total and maintaining a high run rate throughout their 20 overs. The Lancashire all-rounder also took 2-32 from his four overs with the ball as Derbyshire struggled to get anywhere near the required run rate. Flintoff, ably supported by an excellent performance from VVS Laxman (63 off 45 balls) was playing with great freedom and with none of the Derbyshire bowlers able to get any sort of control or economy.

Earlier in the day, Flintoff was named in an England side to face Warwickshire at Edgbaston in a three-day game beginning July 1st. England also named two spinners in the form of Monty Panesar and Greame Swann. It would appear almost certain that England would look to play two spinners in the first test in Cardiff given most observers see a pitch that will turn. The rest of the team for the Warwickshire game was fairly predictable with Bopara batting at three and no place for Ryan Sidebottom as they give their spinners a run out.

Adil Rashid, tipped by Shane Warne to play in this Ashes series, will play against Australia for the England Lions at Worcester in a four-day game (July 1-4). Amongst those selected for the Lions are Ian Bell and Steve Harmison who have fallen out of favour with the selectors of the test team. Recently capped Durham paceman Graham Onions also features.

The Ashes begins in Cardiff on July 8.

England team v Warwickshire at Edgbaston (1-3 July):
Andrew Strauss (captain), James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Ravi Bopara, Paul Collingwood, Alastair Cook, Andrew Flintoff, Monty Panesar, Kevin Pietersen, Matt Prior (wk), Graeme Swann.

England Lions v Australia at Worcester (1-4 July):
Ian Bell (captain) (Warwickshire), Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire), Joe Denly (Kent), Steven Davies (wk) (Worcestershire), Stephen Harmison (Durham), Sajid Mahmood (Lancashire), Stephen Moore (Worcestershire), Eoin Morgan (Middlesex), Graham Onions (Durham), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Vikram Solanki (Worcestershire).