Yorkshire Vikings v Lancashire Lightning
Vitality Blast Finals Day, semi-final
Saturday July 16, 2022, 11am
Edgbaston
Toss: Yorkshire won it and elected to bat.
Teams: Yorkshire – Lyth, Malan, Kohler-Cadmore w, Brook c, Khan, Fraine, Thompson, Waite, Revis, Drakes, Bess.
Lancashire – Salt w, Jennings, Croft, Vilas c, David, Wells, Lamb, Wood, Hartley, Gleeson, Parkinson.
Match summary: Yorkshire suffered semi-final disappointment as Lancashire chased down 205 to reach this evening’s Blast final at Edgbaston.
The Lightning secured both their record Blast chase and the highest ever on Finals Day by six wickets with eight balls to spare.
Yorkshire’s 204-7 was underpinned by 66 off 44 balls from Tom Kohler-Cadmore and 50 from 18 for Jordan Thompson.
Unfortunately, however, Lancashire raced out of the blocks in reply through a quick-fire 36 for Phil Salt before Keaton Jennings’ 75 off 51 balls steered them home with some comfort. He shared a third-wicket century stand with Dane Vilas, who finished 63 not out off 36 and hit the winning runs.
They will play the winners of Hampshire versus Somerset, the afternoon semi-final, in tonight’s final at 6.45pm.
Report: Adam Lyth pulled Luke Wood for six in the first over before slicing to deep point next ball – 8-1.
But Yorkshire were off to a fantastic start through Dawid Malan (33) and Tom Kohler-Cadmore, who took the score to 66-1 after six overs and 69-1 in the seventh.
Malan eased Danny Lamb’s seam over cover for six after Kohler-Cadmore had hit Richard Gleeson for four successive boundaries in the fourth over, which cost 20.
Unfortunately, Malan fell to Matt Parkinson’s leg-spin when he made room to hit through the off-side again and was bowled in the seventh over (69-2).
Harry Brook then chopped on against the leg-spin of Luke Wells for only three before the same bowler bowled Kohler-Cadmore, but not before the Vikings number three had reached his third Roses fifty of 2022 off 37 balls.
When he fell, Yorkshire were 124-4 in the 15th over.
However, the Vikings were catapulted to North of 200 by Jordan Thompson’s stunning 50 off 18 balls – he reached his milestone off 17 deliveries.
In the 18th and 19th overs, Thompson peppered the leg-side boundary and hit five sixes in a seven-ball run, dominating a 74-run stand inside five overs with the impressive Shadab Khan, who also made 34 off 24.
Lancashire hit back at the death with three wickets in three balls at the end of the 19th over and the start of the 20th, one to expensive England bowler Richard Gleeson (1-54 from four) and two to Lamb.
And their momentum continued at the start of the chase, with Phil Salt hitting three sixes as 29 came off Matthew Revis in the third over. While Revis struck, getting Salt caught behind for 36 off 15 balls, the Lightning would have been happy at 44-1 after 2.5 overs.
Dom Drakes got Steven Croft caught at mid-off – 69-2 in the fifth – but Keaton Jennings’, fresh from a Championship triple century earlier this week, steered the chase from there.
The left-hander played classical strokes on the way to a 30-ball fifty, achieved as his side reached 120-2 after 10 overs.
Jennings found an able ally in his captain Dane Vilas, with the pair sharing 112 inside 12 overs for the third wicket as Yorkshire’s ground fielding and bowling was below par.
When Jennings was caught at mid-off by Brook off Drakes, Lancashire were 181-3 after one ball of the 17th over, needing only 24.
Vilas reached his fifty off 29 balls shortly afterwards.
A further wicket for Revis – Tim David caught at deep backward square – proved nothing more than consolatory before Vilas hit the same bowler over cover for six later in the 19th over to seal their passage through to the final.
Magic moment: Jordan Thompson hit five sixes in seven balls against Danny Lamb and Gleeson in the 18th and 19th overs to power the Vikings beyond 200.
Turning point: The third over of the Lancashire reply brought them 29 off Matthew Revis, with Phil Salt hitting three sixes before falling at the end of the over. Lancashire moved to 48-1. Having brought the required rate down, they were able to reel in the target with relative comfort.
Stat of the match: Tom Kohler-Cadmore has posted fifties in all three Roses Blast matches this season following 67 in the group stage tie at Emirates Old Trafford and 77 in the defeat at Headingley.
What they said: Coach Ottis Gibson – “It is disappointing but, as disappointing as it is, this quite young team showed what it can do by getting to Finals Day.
Having got there, we would like to have done better, of course. You can have the best plans in the world, but you have to execute them and we didn’t really do that today.
“Some of the young players have played very well during the tournament and have really come on.
“Now we will have a look around and see whether we bring in someone with a little bit more experience to come in alongside them next year.
“Tom Kohler-Cadmore and David Willey are moving on to the next stages of their career, and we thank them for everything they have done for us and wish them well. We missed Will today.
“To get 200 was a great effort. Jordan played exceptional. But we reserved our worst bowling performance of the season for the semi-final. At the end of the day, that’s where we lost the game.”
What’s next: Yorkshire are back in LV= Insurance County Championship action from Tuesday, travelling to Taunton to face Somerset (11am). They are aiming for their second win in nine games.
