Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Sir James Anderson and Jonny Bairstow embrace after last month’s Roses game at Headingley, which Yorkshire won by 106 runs.
Anthony McGrath says his Yorkshire players have loved the ‘one club’ feel of the Vitality Blast double headers as the county’s men and women prepare for the most iconic one of the lot across the Pennines tomorrow.
Yorkshire’s men and women are heading to Emirates Old Trafford for a pair of Sky Sports televised clashes.
The first – at 3pm – is for bragging rights only. Yorkshire and Lancashire women are both out of Finals Day contention.
The second, starting at 7pm, has significant importance in terms of quarter-final qualification. Yorkshire just need to avoid defeat to qualify for the quarter-finals. A tie would do them, for example. A win is what they crave.
The two Yorkshire sides have been involved in a handful of double headers this summer, with the latest – at Headingley last Friday – yielding a pair of wins. The women beat Somerset, then men triumphed over Durham.
“We’ve loved it,” said head coach McGrath. “The girls have been really supportive of us. There’ve been a few of them in the stands watching us and vice versa when we’ve been in early beforehand.
“We’re pretty close in terms of the dressing rooms, and we want them to go well. It’s their first year in Tier 1.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Matthew Revis is congratulated by Anthony McGrath after sealing victory against Durham at Headingley last Friday.
“Any Yorkshire team that goes on the field, we want them to win, and that’s how it should be. They’ll be a brilliant two games to look forward to.”
On Roses clashes in particular, McGrath continued: “They’re great occasions, aren’t they.
“We managed to get a win there last year, which didn’t really count for a lot in terms of qualification. The carrot now is that if we go there on Friday night and win, we will definitely be in the quarter-finals.
“What a chance to go and put our stamp on it there, which would give us a lot of confidence.”
Not only are Yorkshire on course for the quarter-finals, they’re on course to secure a home quarter-final next week.
If they win their last two games, at Lancashire and at home to Nottinghamshire on Sunday, they will have secured top spots in the North.
“Now we’re at this stage, and we’d love a home quarter-final,” said McGrath. “I think it’s great for the club, and it’d be great for our fans. We’ve not had a lot to cheer about in the last few years.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Adam Lyth leaves the field on 131 not out after his innings against Leicestershire at Headingley on Sunday.
“Knowing our home ground, we’re playing well here, we’ve scored 200 on the last couple of occasions, and we’ve chased here as well.
“It would be a big advantage for us.”
And, also, McGrath believes the change in format of this season’s Blast is a good thing, with Finals Day at Edgbaston a week on Saturday, less than a week after the end of the group stage.
Last year, it was approximately two months after the end of the group stages.
“Sometimes, if there’s a long break, you can have injuries, you can lose your overseas players, all those kinds of permutations,” said McGrath. “But, hopefully, we can stay healthy this time and keep playing well.
“Look, we’re not there yet, and anything can happen, but we’ve just got to remember how we’ve been playing and keep that belief, which I always talk about.”
Picture by Gareth Copley/Getty Images. Crossing the divide. Shadab Khan, at the crease for Yorkshire against Lancashire in the 2022 semi-final. He will play for Lancashire against Yorkshire tomorrow evening.
Third-placed Lancashire can still better Yorkshire given they are eight points behind. But it’s highly unlikely given the White Rose county’s superior net run-rate.
Lightning could get one of the two best third-placed finisher spots for the quarter-finals, but they simply have to win their last two games convincingly and hope for the best.
This season has seen a reversal of roles. Lancashire are usually so consistent in this format. They have not failed to qualify for the quarter-finals since 2017, whereas Yorkshire are targeting qualification for the last eight since 2022.
Lancashire have so far lost five of their 10 games to Yorkshire’s three.
Coached by Steven Croft, they are captained by opening batter Keaton Jennings. They have Australian batter Ben McDermott and Pakistani all-rounder Shadab Khan as their two overseas players.
The last time Yorkshire reached Finals Day – beaten by Lancashire in the semi-final at Edgbaston in 2022 – Shadab was in the White Rose team.
Picture by Alex Whitehead/SWPix.com. Current Yorkshire women’s coach Rich Pyrah at the crease for Yorkshire during the 2014 Blast. He hit the winning runs at Emirates Old Trafford that year.
Liam Livingstone is their leading run-scorer in this season’s Blast and their joint leading wicket-taker.
Meanwhile, Sunday’s centurion Adam Lyth, who underpinned the thumping win over Leicestershire at Headingley with a brilliant 131 not out, was asked for his favourite Roses memory.
“Richie Pyrah hitting the winning six over cover at Old Trafford in 2014,” he said.
That was the same game when Aaron Finch hit The Point.
“I was batting at the other end from him,” added Lyth. “Two low full tosses, and one pretty much bounced back off The Point to the end of Jordan Clark’s run-up. It was incredible.”
