Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Jonny Bairstow is happy with where Yorkshire sit in the Vitality Blast, their four wins so far including a thumping success over Lancashire Lightning at Headingley on Friday night.
As Jonny Bairstow spoke after the Vitality Blast defeat at Leicestershire on Sunday afternoon, he was clearly frustrated with the manner of it, Yorkshire slipping from 100-3 to 135 all out in their pursuit of a 148-target. But the White Rose skipper struck the balance between disappointment and encouragement.
The White Rose should have won at Grace Road, no doubt. It was a game they threw away. However, things like that do happen in T20 cricket. After all, it’s such a fickle format.
“We can say, ‘It’s T20 cricket’. But we should be chasing that down,” said Bairstow. “We needed 100 off 14 overs with eight wickets left. From my point of view, that’s what we pride ourselves on. We should be winning games of cricket like that.”
The bigger picture, though, is that it’s been an impressive start to this season’s Blast for Yorkshire, who sit top of the North Group with four wins from six. They have claimed victories over Nottinghamshire and Durham away and Derbyshire and Lancashire at home.
Bairstow himself has stood out with the bat. He is, at present, the third leading run-scorer in the competition with 250 from six innings, including notable scores of 83 not out, 43, 73 and 39.
With the ball, Pakistani overseas seamer Hassan Ali had led the way with 11 wickets. He’s in the top six leading wicket-takers in the Blast having returned hauls such as 2-11, 3-29 and 4-18. Of course, he also helped win the game against Derbyshire at Headingley last month with a late 31 not out.
We will concentrate on Hassan a touch more in a moment, but there have been others.
Picture by John Mallett/Leicestershire Cricket. Two fifties for James Wharton so far in the Blast.
James Wharton has scored two fifties, Adam Lyth a 97, Jafer Chohan has taken 10 wickets and Moeen Ali eight added to a half-century.
“We’re happy with the way that we’re playing,” said Bairstow, whose side now turn their attentions to a fortnight of Rothesay County Championship cricket, starting with Warwickshire at Scarborough from Friday.
“We leave this segment of the competition with four wins from six.
“If we can turn up and do the same after these two Championship games, we should be through.”
There’s no doubt that after years of underachievement in the Vitality Blast, with only three Finals Day appearances and no trophy, this Yorkshire side has a different look and feel about it.
Bairstow continued: “There’s been a calmness about everything, hasn’t there. That’s a good thing.
“I think that if you’re able to just bring that calmness with the experience that you’ve got in – whether that’s with Mo, AJ, Hassan, and obviously all the international quality players that you bring in – it lifts everyone else.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Moeen Ali has been a popular addition on and off the field at Headingley.
“Other guys are able to take little snippets of that, of which we probably haven’t had that for a little period of time.
On the return of Championship cricket, the skipper said: “We look forward to this week up at Scarborough. We know it’s going to be an amazing week.
“Warwickshire gave us a hiding at their spot, so there’s plenty on the line with that.
“We’ve come in off the back of some momentum and some good performances in the T20s. Hopefully the boys can kick on.
“We’re going in the right direction is what I would say. To beat Surrey at home in the Championship and then coming into this (Blast).”
And, on Hassan’s presence and his form, Bairstow added: “He’s just high-class.
“We were lucky to be able to get him.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Hassan Ali has impressed with ball and bat so far in a Yorkshire shirt.
“Having played against him quite a few times, you know how good he is. But, when you put him in different scenarios and situations, you’re able to really see the class come through and his standards.
“I think it’s just the deception of his slower balls and just how he formulates and goes about his over.
“You’re always guessing as to what he’s going to bowl because he’s got three or four different balls. That’s not even including a bumper, which is slippery enough
“It’s been great to have him on board.”
Hassan is available for both of Yorkshire’s next two Championship matches, with a return to Grace Road to face Leicestershire following the Bears’ clash.
The in-form Pakistani international spoke about his first few weeks in a Yorkshire shirt after Friday’s Roses win over Lancashire.
He said: “What a night! It was an amazing game, a great win.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Experienced Australian seamer AJ Tye has helped Yorkshire to the top of the Vitality Blast North Group table at the group stage’s midway point.
“We have a really nice batch of boys. We’re covering all the departments in T20 cricket. We have lots of options. We have players like Faheem Ashraf and Moeen Ali, who is one of the best all-rounders in the world.
“When you have those kind of players in your squad, we can say, ‘Yeah, we have a good side’.
“We have two games in the red-ball coming up now, and we want to win those.”
Added his excellent form with the ball, Hassan crashed 31 not out off 12 balls against Derbyshire at Headingley, which helped the White Rose recover from 139-8 in the 16th over chasing 195 to win. AJ Tye also thumped an unbeaten 32 off 13.
And Hassan added: “That was one my best innings so far in T20 cricket.
“I was sitting with Faheem before I went in, and we were looking at the scoreboard. The run-rate was going up and up. But he was saying, ‘One or two good overs and we’ll be on the winning side’.
“That kept in my mind, and I just tried to watch the ball. But Andrew Tye was the one who started to shift the momentum to our side. That was a good innings.”
