Yorkshire Vikings v Leicestershire Foxes
Vitality Blast, North Group
Sunday June 16, 2024, 3pm
Headingley
Toss: Foxes won the toss and elected to bat.
Vikings: Adam Lyth, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Shan Masood c, Donovan Ferreira w, Jordan Thompson, Matthew Revis, Dom Bess, Jafer Chohan, Conor McKerr, Dan Moriarty.
Foxes: Rishi Patel, Harry Swindells, Peter Handscomb c, Louis Kimber, Wiaan Mulder, Rehan Ahmed, Ben Cox w, Ben Mike, Lewis Goldsworthy, Scott Currie, Josh Hull.
Match Summary: Yorkshire lost their second successive Vitality Blast match, failing to chase 167 against Leicestershire – a defeat which followed hot on the heels of Friday’s defeat at Birmingham.
Yorkshire bowled the Foxes out for 166 in 19.5 overs, with Jafer Chohan, Dan Moriarty and Matthew Revis all claiming two wickets apiece. Unfortunately, they then slipped to a 20-run loss, finishing on 146-9.
The Vikings had been well placed at 100-2 in the 13th over but lost a flurry of wickets as left-arm spinner Lewis Goldsworthy and fast bowler Scott Currie claimed three wickets apiece.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Yorkshire’s dugout watches on with heightening nerves during the closing stages of today’s game.
Report: Yorkshire had this game in the palm of their hands, but it slipped from their grasp.
Was it won by Leicestershire or lost by Yorkshire? Probably, it was won by the Foxes, who were excellent with the ball – chiefly Somerset loanee Goldsworthy and big quick Scott Currie.
They claimed three wickets apiece and also shared three catches off each other’s bowling too.
Leicestershire’s fourth win from seven means they replace Yorkshire in second place in the North Group table.
An eventful six-over powerplay saw Leicestershire reach 60-3 after they elected to bat on a used pitch which still played pretty well.
It clearly wasn’t the road we have so often seen here, but the Foxes were still under par at the halfway mark at 166 all out.
Patel and opening partner Harry Swindells hit a six apiece, but the Foxes were pegged back as Vikings loanee fast bowler Conor McKerr had a hand in two of the three early wickets.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Conor McKerr bowls.
He had Swindells caught at mid-off for 22 and helped to run out Rehan Ahmed at the striker’s end as the England man attempted a third run to deep backward point. McKerr was the fielder.
From there, the Foxes lost wickets at inopportune times.
Patel reached his fifty off 31 balls, but the loss of wickets meant he couldn’t press the accelerator as not long after the Foxes were 100-5 after 11 overs.
Patel fell caught at cover trying to reverse sweep against Dan Moriarty’s left-arm spin – 146-7 in the 18th over – before former Viking Ben Mike hit a couple of sixes in a late 28
Leg-spinner Jafer Chohan was the pick of Yorkshire’s bowlers with 2-29, while Dom Bess also impressed for 0-23 from four overs of off-spin.
In reply, Adam Lyth and Dawid Malan were by no means slow, but the openers were more controlled than Leicestershire had been early on, sharing 45 inside six overs.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Jafer Chohan celebrates a wicket with Shan Masood.
Both men caressed sixes over cover off Louis Kimber’s part-time off-spin as 13 came off the opening over before falling for 21 and 32 respectively as Yorkshire fell to 65-2 in the ninth.
Lyth was bowled by Currie and Malan, who top-scored, caught at long-off against Goldsworthy.
And those wickets were the early shoots of a successful Foxes fightback.
Joe Root and Shan Masood hit early sixes but fell in quick succession, leaving the Vikings 104-4 in the 14th.
Root holed out to long-on off Goldsworthy for 30 and Masood miscued Currie to backward point for 14.
Wickets then continued to tumble, and Yorkshire just couldn’t arrest the slide.
Goldsworthy had Jordan Thompson well caught at deep midwicket before Currie had last hope Donovan Ferreira caught behind for 22 – 136-8 with 11 balls left.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Joe Root pulls at Headingley today.
Josh Hull comfortably defended 25 off the last over, removing Chohan to ensure his side completed this season’s Blast double over the Vikings having won at Grace Road a couple of Fridays back.
Magic moment: Adam Lyth and Dawid Malan both eased sixes over cover, off Louis Kimber’s off-spin, in the opening over of the chase of 167. They were glorious shots, showing there’s a definite place in T20 cricket for poise as much as there is power. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to contribute to victory.
Turning point: Yorkshire falling from 100-2 in the 13th over to 136-8 in the 19th, all but ending their chances of victory. Current internationals Joe Root, Shan Masood and Donovan Ferreira – in that order – fell in a decisive period.
Stat of the match: Not quite the stat of this match, but nonetheless an interesting one heading into Thursday’s Roses clash here at Headingley.
Lancashire and Yorkshire were top and second in the North Group heading into today’s matches, but they both lost. The Lightning were beaten at Durham by two runs chasing 219.
They remain top on 10 points from seven games, while Yorkshire have dropped to seventh on six points in a jam-packed table.
What they said – coach Ottis Gibson: “I thought we bowled really well – the last 10 overs especially when we restricted them to four boundaries. If you’d have said we would be chasing 167 here at Headingley, you would win that more times than not.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Yorkshire coach Ottis Gibson watches on.
“But I guess you have to give them a lot of credit. I thought they bowled really well.
“They used the conditions, bowling to the big side. Their spinner, Goldsworthy, was a little bit skiddy and we just couldn’t get under it.
“All in all, as I sit here now thinking how did we lose that, the best way to put it would be that we were outfoxed by the Foxes today.”
What’s next: Hold onto your hats. It’s the big one. Yorkshire face North Group leaders Lancashire Lightning on Thursday at Headingley (7.15pm).
It will form part of a double header with a difference as there will be a big screen up at the venue for fans to watch the football beforehand. England face Denmark in EURO2024 from 5pm.
