Yorkshire Vikings v Durham
Vitality Blast, North Group
Sunday May 28, 2023, 11.30am
Headingley
Toss: Yorkshire win and elected to bowl first.
Teams – Vikings: Adam Lyth, Dawid Malan, Shan Masood c, Jonny Tattersall w, Matthew Revis, David Wiese, Matthew Fisher, Dom Bess, Jordan Thompson, Ben Mike, Jafer Chohan.
Durham – Alex Lees c, Michael Jones, Graham Clark, Ollie Robinson w, Ashton Turner, Bas de Leede, Luke Doneathy, Liam Trevaskis, Ben Raine, Nathan Sowter, Brandon Glover.
Match summary: Alex Lees posted an excellent career best 90 off 53 balls against his home county as Durham racked up an imposing 217-3 and defended it comfortably at Headingley, consigning Yorkshire to a third straight Vitality Blast defeat at the start of the North Group. Jonny Tattersall top-scored with 39 off 33 balls in 189-7, a 28-run loss.
Report: Durham’s limited overs captain Lees led the way for his second county, who have now won two from two at the start of their campaign.
Lees shared partnerships of 85 for the second wicket with Michael Jones and 111 for the third with Ollie Robinson, who also posted a career best 64 not out in 30 balls.
Chasing 218, Yorkshire got off to a flyer at 30-0 after nine balls, but they slipped to 65-3 inside seven overs to undermine their chances of a first win of any sort in 2023.
Tattersall and Jordan Thompson, the latter with 33, were the standout batters, but the Vikings needed much more. Seamer Ben Raine impressed for Durham with 3-27 from four overs.
Had Yorkshire chased this down, it would have been a club record chase in the Blast.
Durham’s 217-3 was anchored by Lees and Robinson, who both hit four sixes.
Matthew Fisher gave Yorkshire a fantastic start when Graham Clark edged behind off the first legitimate ball of the match following a wide, leaving Durham at 1-1.
But the visitors settled and then advanced at pace through Lees and Jones, who united for 9.1 overs.
Jones initially led the way with a brisk 43, hitting Fisher for two sixes in the fifth over as the score moved to 45-1. He later hoisted Dom Bess to long-off as the score fell to 86-2.
But Lees maintained the momentum, finding another partner in wicketkeeper Ollie Robinson.
Left-handed Lees pulled or slog-swept a trio of sixes on the way to a 29-ball fifty, reached to take Durham to 110-2 in the 12th in excellent batting conditions.
Dom Bess had Lees caught at long-off, ending a 111 stand with Robinson – a Durham record partnership in matches against Yorkshire.
But Robinson kicked on, just like his partner. He reached his fifty off 25 balls, ensuring the visitors sailed beyond 200 in front of a 4,500-strong crowd and under the Headingley lights on a grey day.
Adam Lyth then gave Yorkshire hope of reeling in that record chase, taking 18 off Netherlands seamer Bas de Leede in the first over, including a six over square-leg. However, he top-edged another Dutch seamer Brandon Glover behind in the next over, falling for 24 as the score became 30-1 after 10 balls.
Shan Masood chipped de Leede to mid-wicket in the next over – 37-2 – before Dawid Malan hit a couple of sixes in a brisk 26 before lofting leg-spinner Nathan Sowter to extra cover.
And when Matthew Revis was run out, Yorkshire were 94-4 in the 11th.
Inventive Tattersall tried his best to lead a recovery, but the Vikings just had too much to do.
When he lifted Ben Raine to deep square-leg, 141-5 in the 16th, Yorkshire still needed 77.
Some lusty hitting from Thompson – three sixes in 33 – kept slim hopes alive, but he fell lbw late on and the hosts were left with an impossible 45 from the last over at 173-6.
David Wiese also hit three sixes in a late 28. But he and Thompson fell to Raine.
Magic moment: Fisher striking with the first legitimate ball of the match raised Yorkshire’s hopes of a win. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be for the Vikings.
Turning point: The 85-run stand for Durham’s second wicket between Lees and Jones turned things around for their side.
Stat of the match: Yorkshire’s record T20 chase remains the 208 they reeled in against Durham at Headingley last June.
What they said – Captain Shan Masood: “After Worcester, we spoke about how the performance was really good and the process was really good. It felt very freakish there. But over here, we’ve made mistakes and ones which kept Durham ahead of the game. That was in all facets of the game. It was bowling, fielding and batting.
“There were certain bits of execution we got wrong, certain bits of game sense. Those things can be costly.
“We take an early wicket of a guy who has just scored a hundred (Graham Clark) and they’re 15 after three overs. But they got out of the powerplay with almost 60 runs and one wicket down. That’s something we have to work on.
“I keep saying that we look a good bowling side when we’re taking wickets. But the hard work starts when you’re not.”
Masood also said that Adil Rashid is currently unavailable as he undertakes a period of rest and reconditioning at the request of the ECB.
What’s next: Yorkshire are back in action on Tuesday, the Vikings travelling to Trent Bridge to face Nottinghamshire Outlaws at 6.30pm. Notts have won one, lost one so far and face Durham at the Riverside tomorrow.
