Steelbacks suffer last-over agony as Salt and Buttler turn on the power for Lightning

The loss sees the Steelbacks, who won their opening six matches, replaced at the of the North Group.

They have dropped to third on run-rate behind Durham and Lancashire, and with just a four point gap to fifth-placed Leicestershire Foxes, they still have plenty of work left to do to qualify for the quarter-finals.

The Red Rose, who named nine internationals in their side, including a clutch of England's current white ball team and all-time great Jimmy Anderson, ultimately proved too good for Darren Lehmann's side, but they were made to sweat for their win as they edged past the Steelbacks' 177 all out with just three balls to spare.

Ravi Bopara and Saif Zaib both top-scored with 32 for Northants, before Lightning looked to be cruising home as Phil Salt (80) and Jos Buttler (54) got into their groove.

But a clatter of wickets towards the end put the pressure on Lightning, and they needed Luke Wells to hit two sixes in the final over to get them over the line.

The Steelbacks handed a debut to New Zealander Tim Robinson in place of the unavailable Matt Breetzke, but were otherwise unchanged from the side beaten by Notts Outlaws last time out, while Lightning named a powerful side that included nine full internationals.

Playing on the pitch used for two Under-19 one day internationals between England and India earlier in the week, David Willey had no hesitation in batting first after winning the toss.

Robinson hit Jimmy Anderson for a couple of sweetly hit fours in the opening over, but the England legend had the last laugh, producing a beauty to uproot the Kiwi's off stump to leave the Steelbacks 11 for one.

Anderson struck again in his next over.

After Willey hit a four past square-leg, he took a step down the pitch next ball and tried to hit Anderson over mid-off, but instead edged to Saqib Mahmood at short third man and Northants were 24 for two.

Ricardo Vasconcelos had been going along nicely, but had a rush of blood facing Mahmood's first ball of the match, top edging an attempted pull high in the air, with Anderson taking the cacth at mid-on.

At 38 for three, the Steelbacks were in bother, but a couple of hits from Ravi Bopara, including a big six over mid-wicket towards beer corner, saw them close the six-over powerplay on 52 for three.

Bopara and Justin Broad batted sensibly, played good shots and ran well between the wickets to ease Steelbacks into a decent position at 89 for three at the halfway stage.

Broad in particular was looking in great form, but he surprisingly perished in the 11th over, bowled by medium pacer Jack Blatherwick for 30 from just 18 balls, and the Steelbacks were 98 for four.

That quickly became 100 for five as Bopara hit a horrible Charlie Green full toss straight to Keaton Jennings at short extra cover to go for 32 off 25 balls. It was a gift of a wicket, and Bopara showed his frustration as he trudged off.

Going into the final five overs, the Steelbacks were 124 for five with Saif Zaib and Lewis McManus at the crease, and although they kept things ticking over, they were finding regular boundaries hard to come by.

They did start to come though, Zaib hitting one towering six over square leg that was impressively caught in the crowd by a fan near the beer tent, much to his and his mates' delight.

But McManus went off the penultimate ball of the 18th over, skying Green to Phil Salt at mid-on to go for 30 off 24 and and Northants were 154 for six.

Some great hitting from Zaib and Luke Procter lifted the Steelbacks to 177 for six, before the former was run out by Buttler trying to pinch a single and get on strike for the final three balls. Zaib made 32 off 19 balls.

Ben Sanderson, Lloyd Pope and George Scrimshaw were then all dismissed first ball by Mahmood, who could celebrate a hat-trick, and the Steelbacks' strong finish was stopped its tracks as they mustered zero runs for four wickets from the final four balls to close on 177 all out.

The Steelbacks needed a good start with the ball, and although they kept things tight, there was no rush of wickets.

Opener Keaton Jennings did go cheaply, but that just broght Jos Buttler to the crease to partner Phil Salt.

Salt, who was forced to change his bat at the end of the first over for being over regulation size, looked in decent nick, and Buttler effortlessly hit two massive sixes as Lightning ended the powerplay on 49 for one.

The Steelbacks took the pace off the ball and were doing a good containing job, but they needed wickets, and with the score on 68 Salt got a life off the bowling of Bopara on 37 - Zaib spilling a tough chance, but one he would normally take, diving forward at deep mid-wicket.

Bopara's mood won't have been helped by Buttler and Salt then hitting sixes later in the over as Lightning reached halfway on 81 for one and, with two batters set and wickets in hand, in very good shape.

They needed 80 from the final eight overs, but were making things look easy as the Steelbacks bowlers had no answer to the absolute class of Buttler and the big hitting of Salt.

Salt's 50 came up off 37 balls, while Buttler did it a ball quicker, and the pair went into the last five overs needing 47 to get their team home.

Northants kept plugging away and they had finally made a breakthrough in the 17th over, Buttler missing an attempted reverse sweep to be bowled by Pope for 54 and leave Lightning 143 for two, still needing 35 to win.

The pressure was building and when Salt skied Sanderson to Vasconcelos on the mid-wicket boundary to go for 80, Lightning were still 23 short with 12 balls to go.

The Steelbacks really started to believe when Ashton Turner went first ball, with Lightning still needing 18 from nine.

A huge six from Liam Livingstone looked to have calmed the visitors’ nerves, but he was clean bowled by a beauty from Scrimshaw next ball and going into the final over, Lightning were 167 for five, needing 11 to win, with two new batters at the crease.

But Wells answered his team’s call, hitting a two and two sixes off the first three balls from Procter to seal a five-wicket win.