Andrew Flintoff to play in Twenty20 (From Messenger Newspapers)

Andrew Flintoff to play in Twenty20

2:14pm Tuesday 23rd June 2009

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LANCASHIRE head coach Peter Moores confirmed that Andrew Flintoff will play in Lancashire’s Twenty20 Cup match in Derbyshire on Thursday.

If Flintoff, who played at Leicestershire on Monday, is selected in England’s Ashes squad next Monday, then these two Twenty20 Cup fixtures will be Andrew’s last for Lancashire in this current spell because the national squad meet up towards the end of the week for training camp.

The Red Rose County will put behind them two disappointing losses in the LV=County Championship and turn their attentions to the second phase of this year’s Twenty20 Cup.

So far, the Lightning have a perfect record in the competition, winning six from six in convincing fashion, but Lancashire will need to win two of their remaining four matches to secure a top two finish in the North Group and hopefully a home quarter-final.

The first challenge came on Monday, when the Lightning took on the Leicestershire Foxes in front of a capacity crowd of 4,500 at Liverpool Cricket Club, the first Twenty20 Cup match the County has ever played away from Old Trafford.

From the core squad that played in the first phase, Lancashire will be missing Tom Smith who is out for up to six weeks with a side strain.

But top order batsman, Mal Loye, is set to make his 2009 Twenty20 Cup debut in place of Smith. After missing the Championship match against Hampshire with a minor back spasm, Mark Chilton returns to action, whilst Indian batsman VVS Laxman replaces Ashwell Prince and Andrew Flintoff rounds off the 13-man squad.

Following the Hampshire fixture, Peter Moores said: “Our focus for the next seven days returns to Twenty20 cricket, where we must continue our impressive one-day form and get the two wins we need to secure a place in the quarter-finals.

“Not only is it important we play well and win, but build momentum ahead of our Friends Provident Trophy semi-final in early July.”

Lancashire Lightning 13-man squad v Leicestershire Foxes was Mal Loye, Paul Horton, Steven Croft, Francois du Plessis, VVS Laxman,Mark Chilton, Andrew Flintoff, Gareth Cross (wkt), Glen Chapple (cpt), Kyle Hogg, Stephen Parry, Sajid Mahmood and Gary Keedy.

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