Phil Salt and Michael Pepper get each other out in tasty T20 Blast tie

The players traded blows as Lancashire and Essex battled it out for a Finals Day spot.

Lancashire wicketkeeper Phil Salt (right) takes the wicket of Essex’s Michael Pepper during their Vitality Blast quarter-final (David Davies/PA). (PA Wire)

Phil Salt and Michael Pepper created a social media stir on Friday when the two aptly-named cricketers helped dismiss each other during the Vitality Blast quarter-final clash between Lancashire and Essex.

With Essex batting first at Old Trafford, Pepper was progressing well when he skipped down the pitch to a spinning delivery from Tom Hartley looking to add to his score of 36.

However, the 24-year-old’s swing and a miss was gobbled up by Lancashire wicketkeeper Salt, who whipped the bails off to dismiss the Eagles batter.

Essex posted 161 for five from their innings and, while the chase proved comfortable in the end for Lancashire, Pepper exacted his revenge on Salt with a superb piece of fielding.

A mighty sweep to the boundary from the England batter was caught by Pepper, who hurled the ball to team-mate Ben Allison before stepping over the boundary rope as Salt was dismissed for 27.

Lightning did not let the dismissal knock them off track, though, as they made short work of their opponents, chasing down a target of 162 with more than four overs remaining.

Lancashire will go for the trophy during Finals Day at Edgbaston on July 16, facing arch-rivals Yorkshire in the semi-finals.