Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Dom Bess has been talking about Yorkshire’s route to T20 progression.
Dom Bess believes Yorkshire’s first port of call is finding consistency in order to move on from this season’s disappointment in the Vitality Blast competition.
With two games remaining in the North Group, the White Rose county are out of quarter-final contention having lost eight of their 12 matches and winning only four times.
Bess has pointed to his former – and home – county Somerset as a prime example to follow, with the Taunton side having reached Finals Day in each of the last four seasons, winning the competition once in that time in 2023.
They have already qualified for this season’s quarter-finals.
It can also be said, but through gritted teeth, that tomorrow night’s opponents Lancashire Lightning are also an impressive model of consistency in this competition. In each of the last seven summers prior to this, they have reached at least the quarter-final stage.
They are also on course to reach the last eight again, sitting top of the North Group at present having won eight of their 12 matches.
Unfortunately for Yorkshire, that’s something they are still searching for having only reached the quarter-finals or better three times in the last 13 seasons.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Dom Bess scored a career best 53 in defeat against Derbyshire on Sunday.
“We’ve got some quality players,” said all-rounder Bess ahead tomorrow’s home clash with the Lightning at Headingley, starting at 6.30pm. “Honestly, it’s just about tying it up.
“You obviously go to Old Trafford, 15,500 in or whatever it was, it’s absolutely pumping, and we get a result. So I look at the lads and don’t think it’s a pressure element at all.
“We all know we’ve got the ability. It’s now about trying to piece it all together.”
Last weekend was a prime example of what Bess is talking about.
On Friday, they won at Emirates Old Trafford against top-of-the-table Lancashire having posted 236-6 thanks largely to the brilliance of Jonny Bairstow (116) and Will Luxton (90 not out).
Then, on Sunday, they lost against bottom-of-the-table Derbyshire at Headingley.
“It’s those times where you’ve got to stand up and get through situations within the summer,” continued Bess, aged 27.
Picture by by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images. Jonny Bairstow celebrates his stunning Roses century in last Friday’s Roses victory at Emirates Old Trafford.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m part of that as a senior player.
“It’s never like we’ve cruised through. We’ve never cruised through to a quarter-final. It’s always been, sort of, on the edge.
“I can take experiences from when I was younger. I started my career at Somerset, and it was quite similar. There were times when you were umm-ing and argh-ing for the quarter-finals.
“And now, they’re on a run where they know what they’re doing. The consistency’s there. They’re already at a home quarter-final.
“You’ve seen this North Group and everyone beats everyone. So it’s been frustrating on that element because you look at it and it’s, ‘Oh, if we’d have won here or there, you’re straight up that table because it’s so tight’. But that’s the reality of where we are.
“We’ve got to be more consistent and start getting it done, because it’s been a long time now (without success in) white-ball cricket.”
Given it’s Lancashire up next, Yorkshire still have plenty to play for. They can achieve the Roses Blast double in a season for the first time since 2011.
Picture by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images. Will Luxton starred against Lancashire last week with an unbeaten 90.
Bess has had an impressive Blast campaign, taking 12 wickets with his off-spin in as many matches and scoring 141 runs from the middle and lower middle order.
On Sunday, in defeat against Derbyshire at Headingley, he posted a career best 53 to help recover from 17-4 to 151-9.
After tomorrow’s Roses clash, Yorkshire round off their campaign against Leicestershire Foxes at the Uptonsteel County Ground, Grace Road on Friday evening.
Head coach Anthony McGrath added: “We’ve got two games left, so we want to try and win those two.
“Even though it doesn’t mean a lot in terms of qualification, but more for next year. We’ve got to find some consistency in our performance.
“When we are good, we’re a force to be reckoned with. But we’ve just got to do it much more often – but not just in T20, in all our cricket across the board.
“It’s a mixture of everything (in the Blast). It’s not one particular area where you think, ‘Maybe if we change X, Y or Z’.
Picture by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images. Jos Buttler scored 55 against Yorkshire last week and will line up against them again tomorrow.
“We just seem to be just a bit of a moody team. That’s probably the best way to describe it.”
Lancashire can once again field Sir James Anderson, Jos Buttler, Phil Salt, Luke Wood, Chris Green, Ashton Turner and, should he recover from a knee injury, potentially Saqib Mahmood.
Captain and opener Keaton Jennings is their leading run-scorer with 384 from 12 matches, while Australian off-spinning all-rounder Green leads the way with 18 wickets. He is the leading spin bowler across the competition.
