Picture by Ashley Allen/Getty Images. Jonny Bairstow contributed 43 with the bat against Durham last night.
There was a moment late on in Durham’s innings at Banks Homes Riverside last night which James Wharton believes says a lot about where Yorkshire currently are with their Vitality Blast cricket.
Durham, set a target of 152 to win, were chasing forlornly after Wharton had earlier batted superbly for 64 off 41 balls on a turgid pitch.
Durham were eventually bowled out for 93, the White Rose winning by 58 runs to sit top of the North Group with three wins from three.
“Jonny (Bairstow) got us all in when we had them seven or eight down,” said Wharton. “He was just saying, ‘Let’s make a statement here. Let’s not slacken off or anything like that’.
“It was about keeping our standards high.”
Look, there remains a long way to go in the group stage. Nine games, to be precise. But they are in a fabulous position at this early stage to secure a top-two finish in the group for quarter-final qualification. Even finishing third may do them.
Next up, Gloucestershire at Headingley tomorrow, starting 2.30pm.
Picture by Ashley Allen/Getty Images. James Wharton is confident about Yorkshire’s Blast chances but is refusing to get carried away after a winning start to the campaign.
Before we continue with in-form Wharton’s thoughts, it’s worth recapping the new 2026 format because, after all, Gloucestershire are very much not a northern county!
Each of the 18 counties are split into three regional groups, you play your other five opponents at home and away added to two random opponents from elsewhere, making up 12 group games.
Yorkshire face Glos at home and Hampshire away.
The top two in each group advances to the quarter-finals added to the two best third-placed finishers.
The Bristol side have started brightly in their Central and West Group, winning two of three games so far.
After opening wins against Warwickshire at home and Glamorgan away, they were beaten away at Northamptonshire last night. Former Yorkshire captain Dawid Malan is yet to debut for them having suffered a calf injury in a warm-up match.
Captained by all-rounder Jack Taylor and coached by Mark Alleyne, they have Australian opening batter D’Arcy Short and South African seam-bowling all-rounder Duan Jansen as their overseas players.
Picture by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images. Powerful Australian batter D’Arcy Short at the crease for Gloucestershire against Northamptonshire last night.
Wharton continued: “We’ve got a very good group. We’ve got a great blend of experience and younger boys like Luxy, who we’ve seen what he can do. But, like Anthony McGrath says, ‘It’s about not getting carried away. One game at a time’.
“Every game’s going to pose a different challenge.
“Like Durham, it could have easily gone pear-shaped with the wicket that was produced. So, yeah, it’s just one step at a time.”
There is no doubt, though, that Yorkshire fans will be starting to get excited given the balance of the team and its undoubted strength. Pakistani all-rounder Faheem Ashraf only debuted last night, for example. So there will hopefully be plenty more to come from him.
Wharton added: “Look, we’ve got a very good side, an exciting team. And we are looking to win this competition, as Mags also says.
“I do think things seem different this year. Our performances so far have shown that.
“Our problems in the past have been inconsistency. We had a great win against Notts, and then we would probably have nose-dived in the past against Derbyshire. We nearly did this time, to be fair.
Picture by Ashley Allen/Getty Images. Yorkshire are aiming for a fourth straight Blast win when Gloucestershire visit Headingley tomorrow afternoon.
“But two lads (AJ Tye and Hassan Ali) stuck their hands up and got us out of the mud. And we’ve never had that batting depth before – two lads coming in so deep and striking at 300.
“That could potentially be the difference this year.
“But you’ve got to take it one game at a time. So back to Headingley for Gloucestershire.
“We’ve got to keep doing the right things and working hard.”
This is the first ever men’s Blast meeting between Yorkshire and Gloucestershire.
