County cricket talking points: Surrey and Lancashire lead the way in Blast

Three wins in a week, including an 87-run evisceration of a strong Nottinghamshire XI at Trent Bridge, sent Lancashire top of the North Group with a game in hand over the rest of the upper half.

Dane Vilas used spin for 11 of the 15 overs Notts survived and that’s not atypical in recent seasons, “pace-off” forcing the batters to generate the power, narrowing the angles between fielders as the ball comes more slowly off deflections and (an underrated aspect of the strategy) hurrying the batters to face up to the next ball.

Fifty-four of the 95 overs the Red Rose men have been required to bowl this season have been delivered by spinners, which is getting on for 12 overs per innings. Of course, the approach depends on the bowlers available and Liam Livingston and Matt Parkinson may soon be indisposed, but don’t be surprised to see Steven Croft, an unused option so far, firing a dart or two at the toes.

Eight overs each was all that was possible at a gloomy Edgbaston in the Bears’ match with Nottinghamshire, but it was enough to send the them second in the group. After Alex Hales had biffed 30 off nine balls (yes, really – fancy doing that and losing), it came down to a last ball one-two-three equation for the visitors. One run to lose; two runs to tie; and three runs to win.

Cue a little wrinkle that was both a surprise and not a surprise. Taking a leaf from Carlos Brathwaite’s decision to retire himself out in the Bears’ innings, Notts skipper Dan Christian retired Samit Patel for Calvin Harrison who he deemed, not unreasonably, more likely to come back for the tying second run (actually, Tom Moores might have lapped Samit if the third was on).

Maybe the to-ing and fro-ing got to Moores, as he could only scramble the