Live: Vitality Blast – Yorkshire Men v Northamptonshire Steelbacks

Yorkshire have lost a remarkable game of cricket which saw them, chasing 238, recover from 9-3 against Northamptonshire to 224-9, losing by 13 runs on the opening night of the Blast.

Matthew Revis has just fallen – 216-8. Matt Milnes and Jafer Chohan to face George Scrimshaw.

We’re 208-7. It’s going down to the wire.

Northamptonshire have not got their overs in on time. One extra fielder inside the circle for the last two overs.

Dom Bess caught off Ben Sanderson. We need 38 more. Matt Milnes in now, joining Revis.

We need 42 off four overs with Matthew Revis and Dom Bess in.

Will Sutherland caught Ricardo Vasconcelos bowled Lloyd Pope, 58.

Australian gets Australian. Caught long-off. Stunning knock.  238-target. Dom Bess and Matthew Revis in now.

Will Sutherland has reached his 50 off 26 balls.

He has taken Liam Guthrie for four sixes in the 13th over. Guthrie 0-68 from three overs. Wow. 238 target, and Yorkshire are 172-5 in the 14th over.

James Wharton bowled David Willey, 58.

Played on pulling. Big blow to Yorkshire, who are chasing 238.

Matthew Revis in alongside Will Sutherland, who has 27.

James Wharton reaches a 27-ball fifty with a scooped six, his third.

Yorkshire on 141-4 in the 12th over chasing 238.

Game on!

Yorkshire need 111 more to win. James Wharton has 47 and Will Sutherland 24. They have shared 37.

Harry Duke bowled Lloyd Pope, 37.

The Australian leg-spinner strikes in his first over. Will Sutherland in now alongside James Wharton, who has 36.

Power-play done, and Yorkshire need 150 more to win.

Harry Duke (37) and James Wharton (35) have shared an incredible 79-run partnership.

If you take the DLS par score as a guide, Yorkshire are ahead.

Yorkshire have pulled themselves up off the canvas and are throwing some haymakers courtesy of Harry Duke and James Wharton, who have shared 57 in no time. We’re 66-3 in the fifth over chasing 238. Duke has 35 and Wharton 17.

This would be one of the all-time T20 comebacks if Yorkshire achieved it. They are 30-3 in the third over chasing 238, with Harry Duke and James Wharton in the early stages of their innings. Duke’s 10 includes a six and a four.

Adam Lyth run out, 1

Run out at the striker’s end coming back for three. Mix up with Wharton on the third run. Yorkshire chasing 238.

Will Luxton caught Ricardo Vasconcelos bowled David Willey, 0.

Two in two balls for Willey. What a night he’s having. James Wharton in to face hat-trick ball.

Dawid Malan caught Matthew Breetzke bowled David Willey, 4.

Caught at deep mid-wicket on the pull. Will Luxton in now.

Adam Lyth and captain Dawid Malan are opening the batting. We’re 6-0 in the first over.

Matt Milnes removed Justin Broad caught at deep square-leg early in the final over for a blistering 67.

Dom Bess with the pick of the Yorkshire figures, 2-29 from four overs.

David Willey caught Matt Milnes bowled Will Sutherland, 54.

Caught at long-off on the run by Milnes.

Willey’s 24-ball blast comes to an end. Justin Broad still there on 59.

Yorkshire’s record chase is 208 against Durham here in 2022.

This total for Northamptonshire, unfortunately, is going to sail beyond that. They are 201-2 with three overs remaining.

David Willey has just reached his fifty off 20 balls with 2x4s and 6x6s. Northamptonshire are 193-2 in the 17th.

Justin Broad has reached a 23-ball fifty with 5x4s and 3x6s. The Steelbacks have reached the 15-over mark at 171-2. Willey has 33.

Ex-Yorkshire T20 captain David Willey has raced to 32 with four sixes. He has helped the Steelbacks to 158-2 in the 15th over.

Jonny Bairstow’s Mumbai Indians have beaten Gujarat Titans to qualify for an effective semi-final on Sunday, with the final early next week.

Ricardo Vasconcelos bowled Dom Bess, 46.

Second wicket for Bess. David Willey in now alongside Justin Broad, who has 30.

Will Sutherland has conceded just three runs from the 11th over, with Northamptonshire moving to 108-1.

Ricardo Vasconcelos has 40 and Justin Broad 11. The Steelbacks have continued their early momentum.

Matthew Breetzke bowled Dom Bess, 36.

Much needed breakthrough for Yorkshire comes in Bess’s first over. Justin Broad in alongside Ricardo Vasconcelos, who has 34.

They’ve now reached 75-1 after six overs.

Crikey, Matthew Breetzke has just pulled a six out over the scoreboard and out of the ground against Will O’Rourke. Steelbacks are 66-0 after five overs, including Breetzke’s 36.

Matthew Breetzke has just whipped a six off his legs against Will Sutherland over backward square-leg. It has thudded into the scorecard. He has 20 of 36-0 after three overs.

Steelbacks off to a flyer. Matthew Breetzke has uppercut Will O’Rourke for six and added to off-side boundaries.

Now for Will Sutherland.

Two boundaries in the opening over for Ricardo Vasconcelos off Matt Milnes.

Now for Will O’Rourke.

Matt Milnes with the new ball.

Matthew Breetzke and Ricardo Vasconcelos opening the batting for the Steelbacks.

Dawid Malan wins his first toss and inserts.

Yorkshire: Dawid Malan c, Adam Lyth, Will Luxton, James Wharton, Harry Duke w, Will Sutherland, Matthew Revis, Dom Bess, Matt Milnes, Jafer Chohan, Will O’Rourke. 

Three debutants for Yorkshire – Milnes, O’Rourke and Sutherland.

Matthew Breetzke, Ricardo Vasconcelos, David Willey c, Ravi Bopara, Saif Zaib, Lewis McManus w, Justin Broad, Liam Guthrie, Lloyd Pope, Ben Sanderson, George Scrimshaw. 

Picture by Alex Whitehead/SWPix.com – Captains Dawid Malan and David Willey at the toss.

Three fixtures in each group tonight, including here at Headingley. Elsewhere.

North Group 

Leicestershire Foxes v Derbyshire Falcons, The Uptonsteel County Ground, Grace Road

Nottinghamshire Outlaws v Bears, Trent Bridge

South Group 

Somerset v Surrey, The Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton

Gloucestershire v Kent Spitfires, The Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol

Hampshire Hawks v Essex Eagles, The Utilita Bowl, Southampton

Jonny Bairstow has scored 47 off 22 balls opening the batting for the Mumbai Indians in their Eliminator clash with Gujarat Titans in the IPL. Mumbai are 195-4 in the 18th over. Should Mumbai lose, they are out of the competition.

The ECB Reporters Network have compiled county-by-county previews ahead of the Blast.

Here’s a look at Darren Lehmann’s Steelbacks.

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE STEELBACKS

Previewed by Jeremy Blackmore, ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay

Captain: David Willey

Overseas players: Matt Breetzke (South Africa, all group stage), Lloyd Pope (Australia, all group stage)

Finals Day appearances: Four (2009, 2013, 2015, 2016)

Titles: Two (2013, 2016)

2024 finish: Quarter-finals

2024 leading runscorer: Matt Breetzke (460)

2024 leading wicket taker: David Willey (16)

Key winter moves: The Steelbacks moved quickly to re-sign two stars of last year’s run to the quarter-finals, with leading run scorer South African international Matthew Breetzke and veteran England all-rounder Ravi Bopara both returning to Wantage Road. Leg-spinner Lloyd Pope, recently named in the Big Bash Team of the Tournament, joins after fellow Australian Ashton Agar was ruled out through injury.

The big question: Northamptonshire’s batting frailties were much in evidence during the Rothesay County Championship. Will the change in format and addition of experienced hands in Willey, Breetzke and Bopara inspire the crop of talented young guns to fire? They will be buoyed by the excellent form of Saif Zaib whose all-round contributions played an important role last summer.

Wildcard watch: Young quick Raphy Weatherall, a former England Under-19 star, showed maturity behind his years in his debut senior season last summer and was entrusted with key overs in the Blast. Returning from injury this season he has clearly put on an extra yard of pace and has caused real problems for opposition batters in the Championship.

Final thought: Darren Lehmann and Willey make a formidable head coach and captain pairing with a wealth of international and franchise trophies to their names and will look to mastermind a second consecutive Steelbacks run to the knockout stages. Bopara proved talismanic in 2024 with bat and ball and while Northamptonshire will miss Agar’s runs, they swiftly secured the dangerous mystery spin of Pope in a like-for-like swap. Ben Sanderson’s accuracy and Weatherall and George Scrimshaw’s pace add potency with the ball.

Picture by Gareth Copley/Getty Images.

Good afternoon from Headingley, where it’s a dry, bright and breezy ahead of our Blast opener against Northamptonshire Steelbacks from 6.30pm.

The Steelbacks arrive with two familiar faces at the helm, with coach Darren Lehmann and captain David Willey welcomed back to their old stomping ground. 

Hopefully it’s not a happy return for the overseas legend and the ex-Blast skipper.

Northamptonshire are two-time champions and a quarter-finalist last year. They were beaten in the last eight by Somerset at home in 2024.

Yorkshire have missed out on the quarters in each of the last two seasons.

Overseas pair Will O’Rourke and Will Sutherland are likely to debut for the White Rose this evening. Lloyd Pope, the Australian leg-spinner, is set to do the same for the Steelbacks.

You can read the match preview for this fixture via the link in the embedded X post above. 

There’s already been one fixture in the North Group. Lancashire Lightning opened things up with a victory over Worcestershire Rapids at Emirates Old Trafford last night. 

The Lightning won by seven runs defending 177.

The Rapids are our next opponents at New Road on Sunday.