Qualification Secured; Steelbacks Stifled

Like the proverbial Lazarus, the Vikings have risen from their early season grave and proceeded to the quarter finals of the Twenty20 Blast. Frankly speaking, our Twenty20 form had been wretched until about a month ago, but I guess that Martyn Moxon was correct when he stated that the team was merely low on confidence. Now they have confidence in spades and ample quality too. The Tykes must now pay a visit to south Wales in the last eight, and even a neutral would have to concede that Glamorgan ought to be more worried about Yorkshire than Yorkshire about Glamorgan.

Meanwhile back at the Northampton ranch, lightning struck twice as Alex Lees won the toss against the Steelbacks for the second successive week, elected to bat again, and just about marshalled his troops to victory as well. However, what was surprising is that the captain even joined in the runs spree for a change. He was ably assisted by in-form Jack Leaning, as the pair put on one hundred runs for the fourth wicket. They helped the visitors to a respectable total and can be thoroughly commended for that.

In reply, the occasion again quickly metamorphosed into a Yorkshire versus Duckett contest, but happily Mr Rafiq dismissed him in the nick of time, after Ducky had given our Azeem some stick. Rash also bowled exceptionally well, but our star performer was Brezza, whose four overs cost a miserly fifteen runs, complete with key wickets and a maiden. Yorkshire are doing a rather good impersonation of an unstoppable juggernaut in one-day cricket at present, but I'm afraid that modern Yorkshire cricket history is littered with quarter finals and semi finals setbacks, so it might be prudent to wait until the chicks have been hatched before one starts counting them.

Twenty20 Blast: Northamptonshire Steelbacks versus YORKSHIRE VIKINGS; in Northampton; Friday the 29th of July 2016. YORKSHIRE VIKINGS won the toss.

YORKSHIRE VIKINGS: 177 for five (off twenty overs)

Lyth c White b Gleeson 5 (9-1)

Willey c White b Crook 17 (29-2)

Lees b Gleeson 59 (163-4)

Head b White 17 (63-3)

Leaning b Azharullah 64 (173-5)

Bresnan not out 7

Plunkett not out 0

Extras: eight

Northamptonshire Steelbacks: 163 for seven (off twenty overs)

Cobb lbw b Willey 0 (0-1)

Rossington c Rashid b Bresnan 1 (20-2)

Duckett c Willey b Rafiq 41 (46-3)

Wakely c Lyth b Bresnan 64 (161-6)

Crook b Rashid 10 (71-4)

Keogh b Willey 28 (137-5)

Kleinveldt c Rafiq b Bresnan 13 (161-7)

Prasanna not out 1

White not out 1

Extras: four

Bresnan three for fifteen

YORKSHIRE VIKINGS win by fourteen runs. YORKSHIRE VIKINGS two points, Northamptonshire Steelbacks nul points.

BATTING CHARTS (minimum of one hundred runs):

Kane Williamson: 209 runs; average - 34.83

Jack Leaning: 243 runs; average - 30.38

Travis Head: 113 runs; average - 28.25

Adam Lyth: 240 runs; average - 24

David Willey: 190 runs; average - 23.75

Tim Bresnan: 162 runs; average - 23.14

Alex Lees: 236 runs; average - 21.45

BEST BOWLERS (minimum of ten wickets):

Tim Bresnan: eighteen wickets; average - 17.28

Azeem Rafiq: twelve wickets; average - 19.17

Adil Rashid: ten wickets; average - 23.8

Liam Plunkett: ten wickets; average - 28.9