I don't see Lancashire as serious contenders to win the Friends Provident Twenty20, but that’s not to say they can’t win it.
Most of the times I have seen them, they have looked an ordinary side.
Stephen Parry continues to be effective, and Tom Smith bowled well against Northants on Thursday, but I’m convinced they are two batters light.
I wouldn’t have a bet on this competition because a team can qualify having virtually lost half of their 16 group matches.
Still, it’s no bad thing to be off the pace at this stage of the competition.
You have just got to do enough to get through to the quarter finals, and then it’s all about putting in a performance on the day.
When Pakistan won the World Twenty20 a couple of years ago, they scraped through their group by the skin of their teeth before coming good in the semi-finals and the final.
Lancashire could do that, but I’d have to put the stiffeners on them at this stage because they’ve looked awful at times.
Not only is it a blow for them to not get a home draw in the quarter-finals because their record at Old Trafford is such a good one, but also from a financial point of view.
Instead they travel to Essex on Tuesday looking to reach the last four.
There are a number of counties struggling financially, and they’re all in the same boat.
A big home crowd for a tie like that would have really boosted the coffers.
