LANCASHIRE’S match-winner Jos Buttler said he knew his side were going to get the better of Yorkshire from the start of the final over.

Buttler’s blistering 71 not out off 35 balls stunned a sold out Headingley to help Lancashire home by four wickets in a last ball NatWest T20 Blast thriller.

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England team-mate Joe Root also contributed to a stunning occasion with a brisk half-century for the Vikings, but Buttler hit five fours and five sixes in pursuit of 186 as the Lightning gained 17 runs off Tim Bresnan’s last over.

Yorkshire’s 185-8 was underpinned by Root’s 55 off 39 balls with nine fours, uniting for a fourth-wicket half-century stand with international colleague Gary Ballance, who made 31 off 18.

But it was started by Glenn Maxwell reverse sweeping the first ball of the match for six over cover off Steven Croft’s off-spin.

Buttler later helped overhaul a target of 45 off the last three overs and scored 29 of the last 32 runs required, including 6,4,4 at the start of the final over. He got one off the final ball.

And Buttler said: “Seventeen off the last, as soon as I hit the first ball of that over, I knew we were going to win.

“I didn’t feel any pressure, I was immersed in the game.

“All the pressure is on the bowler, playing in front of their home crowd, 16,000 people are expecting them to win. If I was there at there at the end, I knew we were going to win.

“It is nice I can go to Edgbaston with England on Tuesday knowing I won’t get any stick from Joe Root in the changing room.”

After being invited to bat, the Vikings were quickly on the back foot at 25-2 in the third over.

Root and Jonny Bairstow shared 40 in five overs for the third wicket before the latter fell.

Ballance hit three sixes in three balls faced against Tom Bailey and Stephen Parry before he was caught at mid-wicket. Root fell soon after passing 50.

Lancashire reached 82-1 but the target was 82 off six with Buttler at the crease. He shared 52 inside five overs for the fourth wicket with Croft and then completed a stunning win.