Yorkshire have to win against Nottinghamshire Outlaws at Headingley tonight (7pm) and hope for favours from elsewhere in order to secure a place in the Vitality Blast quarter-finals.
Results last night – Derbyshire winning at Worcestershire and Northamptonshire beating Birmingham at home – ended the possibility of the Vikings being able to qualify with a point from a tie or a No Result. They definitely need the two points which come with victory.
There’s now only fourth place in the North Group to aim for, with Birmingham, Lancashire and Northamptonshire already qualified for September’s first knockout round.
The state of play where it matters in the North Group is as follows, with all teams involved having one fixture left to play.
Leicestershire are fourth on 14 points before three teams – Derbyshire, Yorkshire and Durham, in that order – all sit on 13 points below them from fifth to seventh.
Leicestershire have a better net run-rate (NRR) than the trio of teams below them, and they travel to Birmingham.
The only simple side to tonight’s equation is that if Leicestershire win at Edgbaston, they are qualified. It doesn’t matter what Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Durham do.
Now for the complicated bit.
If Yorkshire are to qualify, it’s almost certainly going to come down to net run-rate because Derbyshire host Durham at Derby.
The only way it wouldn’t come down to NRR is if Leicestershire lose at Birmingham, Yorkshire win and Derbyshire and Durham take a point through either a tie or a No Result.
The likelihood is that one of Derbyshire or Durham is going to win, meaning they move to 15 points, a tally Yorkshire would get to with a victory over the Outlaws.
Given Durham’s NRR is the worst of the lot, it would be more beneficial if they won the game in the East Midlands.
Whatever the equation, if you’re joining us at Headingley tonight, you know that Yorkshire have to win. Only then would other results come into the equation.
