Buttler serves up brilliant batting in Lancs' Roses win

JOS Buttler posted a superb season's best 77 off 46 balls and became only the second Englishman to reach 13,000 career T20 runs as Lancashire Lightning beat Yorkshire in a pulsating Roses match at Headingley and qualified for the Vitality Blast quarterfinals.

- By GRAHAM HARDCASTLE

With Nottinghamshire losing at Worcestershire, Lancashire would have advanced whatever this result. But ending a run of three Roses defeats, including one last week, means they secured a top-two finish in the North Group for a home tie in September's last eight.

Buttler’s dynamism from number three, including eight fours and three sixes, was the centrepiece of 174 all out, which saw the wickets shared around a Yorkshire attack on a competitive surface.

Sir James Anderson, fresh from his Hundred wildcard selection, and Australian off-spinner Chris Green shone with three for 25 and three for 27 as Yorkshire were bowled out for 153, including Pakistani Abdullah Shafique’s 54 off 34.

Leaders Lancashire won for the ninth time in 13 games - this by 21 runs - and already out Yorkshire lost their ninth game in 13.