Cork claims hat-trick

Dominic Cork celebrates his hat-trick during Lancashire Lightning's win over Nottinghamshire Outlaws

Dominic Cork grabbed the second Old Trafford hat-trick of his career as Lancashire Lightning earned a place in the Twenty20 Cup quarter-finals with a win over Nottinghamshire Outlaws.

The flamboyant 32-year-old all-rounder left the Outlaws shell-shocked from his one and only over of a game reduced to eight overs each after rain.

It was the second hat-trick of the competition, following Dimitri Mascarenhas' feat for Hampshire Hawks against Sussex Sharks in the Southern Division.

The Outlaws, comfortably placed at 52 without loss in their sixth over, collapsed to a total of 72 for five with Cork earning three wickets for nine runs from his six balls.

Lightning made short work of the target with stand-in captain Andy Flintoff blasting 31 from 11 balls to follow up his 85 against Yorkshire Phoenix on Thursday.

Appropriately Cork emerged after a flurry of wickets to hit the winning runs, taking Lightning to victory by seven wickets with seven balls to spare.

Cork launched his hat-trick when Kevin Pietersen, an England candidate when he qualifies in October, top-edged to wicket-keeper Jamie Haynes - deputising for the injured Warren Hegg.

Mark Ealham followed, missing with a wild heave, before Cork dug a delivery in for Samit Patel to sky to Carl Hooper at mid-on.

It was Cork's second hat-trick on the Manchester ground - the first, nine years ago, came in a Test against West Indies when his victims were Richie Richardson, Junior Murray and, coincidentally, Hooper.

Nottinghamshire had cruised to 71 for one when Cork struck in the seventh over and then Hooper had Bilal Shafayat stumped in the eighth. By then four wickets had tumbled in five balls.