WATCH: Venkatesh Iyer's Crucial Wickets Lead Lancashire to Thrilling Victory with Just 3 Runs Needed

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Lancashire all-rouner Venkatesh Iyer delivered a stellar performance to lead his English county side to a nail-biting three-run victory over Worcestershire in a One Day Cup match in Manchester on Wednesday. With Worcestershire needing 16 runs off 12 balls in their 238-run chase and just two wickets remaining, Iyer was entrusted with the ball by Lancashire skipper Josh Bohannon.

Worcestershire’s Tom Hinley had brought his team on the verge of a win by smashing Will Williams for a six and a four in the previous over. Iyer didn’t have a promising start conceding 8 runs to leg-byes and byes off the first two balls followed by a wide off the third ball. Hinley and Hisham Khan took a couple of singles and Iyer conceded another wide.

With 4 runs needed to win, Hinley smashed Iyer’s penultimate ball straight down Harry Singh’s throat at deep mid-wicket. Off the very next ball, Iyer trapped Harry Darley in front of the stumps for a duck to set up a brilliant win for his English side.

3️⃣ runs required to win.

2️⃣ wickets needed…

Over to you, @venkateshiyer!

#RedRoseTogether https://t.co/CfuDnk44Oo pic.twitter.com/gNTFO2M6ml

— Lancashire Cricket (@lancscricket) August 14, 2024

The KKR all-rounder ended the game with figures of 2/38 in six overs after scoring 25 off 42 balls with the bat in the first innings. Iyer signed with Lancashire in July but the 29-year-old hasn’t had a memorable outing for the county so far having scored just 68 runs from five innings so far at an average of 13.60 and a strike rate of 80.

With the ball, the Madhya Pradesh all-rounder picked three wickets from four innings at an average of 36.66 and an economy of 6.11 with best figures of 2/38. Iyer is likely to return to India soon to participate in the Duleep Trophy 2024 after members of the Indian team leave their sides for national duty. Lancashire, in spite of their thrilling win, are still at the last spot in Group A with two wins from eight matches.

Iyer was earlier this year part of KKR’s squad which won the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 title.