By Graham Hardcastle
Kane Williamson says Steve Patterson’s captaincy credentials have always been evident inside the Yorkshire dressing room.
The New Zealand skipper’s early impressions of the White Rose seamer’s rise to the role in place of Gary Ballance have been positive.
Patterson took on the job on an interim basis at the start of the Royal London one-day Cup campaign in May and then permanently in mid-June.
Williamson has been with Yorkshire for approximately a month as the club’s overseas batsman.
It is his fourth spell at Emerald Headingley.
“Patto’s always been a leader in the group,” said the 27-year-old.
“He’s certainly the same guy that I remember from a few years ago. When he speaks, people listen.
“He’s always very calm under pressure.
“Those are really good traits as a captain, and he’s been doing a great job.”
Prior to this season, Patterson’s captaincy experience was limited, and he had never done it at first-team level.
During the last two months, he has captained the White Rose in all formats.
He guided them to the semi-finals of the one-day Cup, has won one, drawn one and lost one in the Championship and has helped them into a useful position heading into the final stages of their Vitality Blast North Group campaign.
Ahead of Thursday’s home Roses clash, Williamson said: “We’ve faced so many different experiences even in the short time that I’ve been here when you think back to that Roses games that we lost and then won and then the tight one at Chesterfield.
“There’s been all ends of the spectrum.
“But Patto’s making some very good decisions.
“At times he’s asked some questions and bounced ideas off me, which is cool.
“At the end of the day, it’s important he runs on his gut instinct. When you do that and go with your own brand, it’s the best chance to learn and reassess if it goes wrong and run with it if goes well.”
And on the specific challenges of leading in T20, Williamson added: “You’re always under pressure in every game that you play, especially in T20, and you’re trying to think on your feet.
“Captaining in this format is new for him, and he’ll have learnt a lot. But he’s doing a very good job.”
Yorkshire have now won six and lost four from their 10 North Group outings and sit into the top four quarter-final qualifying places.
The Vikings endured a mixed week of results last week.
After losing back-to-back games against Derbyshire, they beat Leicestershire and Northamptonshire at Headingley on Tuesday and Friday.
Their next match is against Lancashire at a sold out Headingley on Thursday evening.
Yorkshire will be looking to gain revenge over the Red Rose, who beat them by one run in a thrilling 14-over aside clash at Old Trafford last month.
Coach Andrew Gale added: “Everyone’s beating everyone, seemingly in both divisions.
“If you’re not quite on it, you’ll come unstuck.
“We have to make sure we stay level and don’t get too far ahead of ourselves even though we are in a good position at the moment.
“You’re always going to look back over the competition and think ‘We could have got over the line there and there’.
“We could have got over the line at Old Trafford, and we should have done at Chesterfield. But you can’t dwell on that. We’ve just got to look forward.
“Thursday should be another good game. They always are, Roses games.”
Team news
Matthew Fisher has yet to feature following a cut to his left big toe sustained while on England Lions duty last month. He was named in a 13-man squad for the visit of Northants Steelbacks last Friday, but the Vikings quick missed out.
Liam Plunkett remains side-lined with a right hip injury but is due to come back into contention within a fortnight. Ben Coad continues his comeback from a side injury and is around four weeks away from a return to first-team action.
Tim Bresnan, who was rested for the Leicestershire Foxes and Northants Steelbacks fixtures, also comes back in to the side after a period of rest.
14-man squad to face Lancashire Lightning
Gary Ballance
Tim Bresnan
Harry Brook
Jack Brooks
Matthew Fisher
Tom Kohler-Cadmore
Jack Leaning
Adam Lyth
Steven Patterson ©
Azeem Rafiq
Jonny Tattersall (WK)
Jordan Thompson
Kane Williamson
David Willey
#GameofRoses
Match statistics
- Lancashire have won only one (in 2015) of their last seven completed T20 matches against Yorkshire at Headingley.
- There have been four scores of 200 or over (three by Lancashire and one by Yorkshire) in T20 matches between these two counties but all have been made at Old Trafford. The highest total at Headingley is 186 for six by Lancashire in 2015.
- Yorkshire’s highest individual innings in a T20 match against Lancashire at Headingley is 108 not out by Ian Harvey in 2004. No Lancashire batsman has scored a T20 century at Headingley, the highest innings being Andrew Flintoff’s 85 in 2004.
- In 2017 Tim Bresnan took six for 19 against Lancashire at Headingley but Lancashire’s best bowling in a T20 match against Yorkshire is four for 23 by Matt Parkinson in the same match.
Last time out
Potential batting milestones in Yorkshire v Lancashire on 9th Aug 2018
SJ Croft needs 50 runs to reach 500 runs in Twenty20 matches against Yorkshire
JE Root needs 80 runs to reach 1500 runs in Twenty20 matches
T Kohler-Cadmore needs 95 runs to reach 1500 runs in Twenty20 matches
KR Brown needs 99 runs to reach 500 runs in Twenty20 matches against Yorkshire
AJ Hodd needs 100 runs to reach 500 runs in Twenty20 matches
JA Leaning needs 117 runs to reach 500 runs in Twenty20 matches at Leeds
AM Lilley needs 131 runs to reach 500 runs in Twenty20 matches
AZ Lees needs 143 runs to reach 1000 runs in Twenty20 matches
Potential bowling milestones in Yorkshire v Lancashire on 9th Aug 2018
Azeem Rafiq needs 1 wickets to reach 50 wickets in Twenty20 matches at Leeds
JA Brooks needs 5 wickets to reach 50 wickets in Twenty20 matches
J Clark needs 8 wickets to reach 50 wickets in Twenty20 matches
JM Anderson needs 9 wickets to reach 50 wickets in Twenty20 matches
AM Lilley needs 10 wickets to reach 50 wickets in Twenty20 matches
