Picture by Gareth Copley/Getty Images. George Hill took the new ball and struck with the sixth ball of the match at Trent Bridge last night, bowling Joe Clarke with one angled back in and which uprooted middle stump.
Captain Jonny Bairstow believes George Hill can be a key weapon for Yorkshire with new ball in hand during the ongoing Vitality Blast campaign
Hill opened the bowling in last night’s impressive win over Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge, bowling their captain Joe Clarke in the first over of the match.
The all-rounder, 25, has been one of the outstanding seam bowlers in the country across the last season-and-a-half of Rothesay County Championship cricket. In all first class cricket, he has taken 152 wickets at an average of 22.3.
But, in T20 cricket, he has only played 22 times since debuting in 2020. The notable scalp of T20 gun for hire Clarke was only his fifth career wicket.
He finished with 1-28 from three overs, and Bairstow says there is more to come from the one-time England Lion.
Bairstow was speaking after the Notts’ win but also in preview of Sunday’s home clash with Derbyshire Falcons at Headingley, 3.30pm start.
“Opening the bowling with George, I think, is a really good thing,” said Bairstow, sensational himself with the bat last night thanks to unbeaten 83 off 47 balls in pursuit of 168.
“You look at some of the best teams around the world, and the people who bring the stumps into play and are able to swing it both ways have a lot of success. So the control I feel George gives us up the top is a huge attribute, not to mention his fielding and his batting.
Picture by Gareth Copley/Getty Images. Jonny Bairstow has experience of playing in and against some of the best T20 sides in the world and knows what it takes to succeed in this format.
“You look at RCB with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood as well – these guys who hit the top of off-stump.
“I think people have previously gone for pace over swing, But we’ve seen it in The Hundred, it’s swung. People like Sam Cook, etc, etc, have been really successful with that. So, yeah, it’s given George an opportunity.”
Not surprisingly, Bairstow was delighted with last night’s win. And, despite being the star man, was happy to praise others – as all good leaders do.
One of those was James Wharton. Not selected by the Lions on Friday morning to face South Africa A in a red-ball game at Arundel, he travelled up to the Midlands and shone with 55 off 41 balls.
He and Bairstow shared 144 for the third wicket from 11-2 in the chase.
“Wharts struck it really nicely,” said Bairstow. “He hits the ball seriously clean, doesn’t he.
“But I think it’s more of a character thing.
“Obviously going to the Lions and then being left out, coming back here and scoring runs, I think that’s a really good character trait for him to have and a nice template.”
Picture by Gareth Copley/Getty Images. James Wharton started Friday on Lions duty at Arundel and ended it on the winning side with Yorkshire at Trent Bridge.
Yorkshire are facing a Derbyshire side who opened their North Group account last night with a high-scoring defeat against Durham at Derby, losing by only six runs chasing a target of 204.
In reply to 203-8, they finished on 197-8. Batting all-rounder Matt Montgomery stood out with a middle-order 74 not out off 45 balls, but he was just unable to get his side over the line.
Captained by wicketkeeper-opener Aneurin Donald in this format, they have signed Pakistani left-arm quick Akif Javed as one of their overseas players. He debuted with one wicket against Durham and played alongside Australian top-order batter Caleb Jewell.
They have also re-signed spinner Allah Ghazanfar for a second stint, but he is only available for the second half of the competition.
The Falcons finished bottom of last year’s nine-team North Group.
