The ice cool former England seamer, who hit the winning runs in Lancashire's Championship victory over Worcestershire at Lytham last Friday, did the trick again when he came in to loft Tom Moody over mid-on.
This time, rather than a few hundred fans in deckchairs, there were more than 9,000 at Old Trafford. It was quarter to eleven at night, rather than quarter past six. And the winning shot was greeted by a firework display and a blast of the 1812 Overture. There was none of that at Lytham.
Last night will be remembered as the night floodlit cricket really arrived in Lancashire.
The previous games, against Surrey last month and the friendly against Yorkshire last year, were marred by cold weather which limited the crowd to around 5,000.
Last night thousands of schoolchildren swelled the crowd to Lancashire's biggest in the AXA League for three years, showing the importance of playing these matches in the school holidays.
Even a heavy cloudburst just before the start couldn't put a dampener on a superb atmosphere.
``The crowd was fantastic,'' said delighted Lancashire chief executive Jim Cumbes. ``Given the decent weather I'm sure we could break through 10,000. And the significant aspect is that a good percentage were new fans.''
It was certainly cricket with a difference, with music between every over and a firework for every boundary - while three Lancashire youngsters, Darren Shadford, Chris Schofield and Jamie Haynes, helped entertain the crowd during the mid-innings break by riding the Rodeo Bull. Fortunately the cricket lived up to the occasion.
It looked like being a comfortable Lancashire victory as Worcestershire could only make 92-8 after the game had been reduced to 25 overs per side. Andy Flintoff celebrated his Test call-up by firing out Tom Moody with his very first ball, Martin conceded only nine runs from his five overs, and Wasim Akram claimed three wickets in a rapid late spell.
But Lancashire found batting just as difficult on a spiteful pitch. Flintoff went for a duck, Mike Atherton grafted 13 overs for 17, and the most appropriate music of the night came when they had limped to 51 for five off 18 overs - ``Life ain't easy'' by Cleopatra.
Graham Lloyd hit 24 and Warren Hegg 17, including the only boundary of the Lancashire innings, to leave them needing seven off the last over.
Ian Austin took two off the first ball, but with Lancashire needing another single off the last two, Glen Chapple was run out by a direct hit from Graeme Hick at mid on. That brought in Martin. And cometh the hour, cometh the man.
Lancashire will change pace tomorrow as they start a Championship match against Glamorgan at Colwyn Bay. They are missing three of their regular top five with Mike Atherton and Andy Flintoff on Test duty and Neil Fairbrother injured, so Nathan Wood and Paddy McKeown come in.
Mike Atherton reported for England duty today after an injury scare in last night's floodlit match at Old Trafford.
Athers was hit on the right thumb by Worcester's Bobby Chapman and was in obvious pain. But he said later: ``It's okay - no problem''.