Yorkshire v Leicestershire Foxes at Headingley Vitality Blast June 8th

Neil Whitaker reports

AT their fourth attempt Yorkshire have got a victory in this year’s Vitality Blast T20 as they beat Leicestershire Foxes by 106 runs with 19 balls to spare at Headingley.

Dawid Malan passed  10,000 runs in domestic T20 cricket and top scored for Yorkshire with 88. He passed 10,000 runs when he drove Matt  Salisbury over the cover boundary for a six. Malan shared in a second wicker partnership of 132 in 11 overs with  Will Luxton.

Luxton said: “Batting with Malan is great for me because he helps me a lot and it’s nice to have that backing from someone like him.  He tells me what he thinks that the bowlers are thinking which is very helpful to someone like me.  He also tells me what the dimensions of the field are.”


Malan batted like he was a man in a hurry as he  clipped Roman Walker off his toes into the East stand for a six and later drove him to the cover boundary.  He drilled Liam Trevaskis over the long-on boundary to bring up the 50 partnership with Luxton. He delightfully placed Tom Sriven just wide off cover for another boundary to bring up his 50 off 30 balls with three sixes and four fours.

His end came when  he  chipped Walker to Foxes captain Louis Kimber at short cover.  Earlier he clipped Walker  off his toes into the East stand for a six and later drove him to the cover boundary.   He delightfully placed Sriven just wide off cover for another boundary to bring up his 50 off 30 balls with three sixes and four fours.

But it was with the departure of Luxton that the Yorkshire innings lost momentum as they lost six wickets for 38 in five overs. Luxton drove Logan Van Beek over the mid-wicket boundary for his first six.  He effortlessly clipped Scriven over the long-on boundary to bring up the hundred partnership with Malan.  He drilled the next ball to the long-off boundary to bring up his 50 from 27 balls with three fours and three sixes. He rocked back and thumped Trevaskis for another six over the long-on boundary. Going for another six off Trevaskis he got too far underneath it and with not enough power in it and found Shan Masood at long-on who took the catch. Luxton’s 62 came from 34 balls with four sixes and three fours.

Matt Revis walked across his stumps to Van Beek and gently chipped him to Rishi Patel at short fine leg. Five balls later Harry Duke cut Van Beek to Sol Budinger at point. James Wharton drilled Salisbury to Van Beek on the mid-wicket boundary edge. Going for a big hit Matt Milnes found Shan Masood running round from the long-on boundary to take the catch at the third attempt.

Earlier Adam Lyth hit three consecutive fours off Van Beek’s opening over: the first to the extra cover boundary, the second to the mid-wicket boundary and the third to the square leg  boundary.He made 18 when he tried to run Walker to third man but top edged it to stumper Ben Cox.

Yorkshire got an early breakthrough when Will O’Rourke angled one in at Patel who belted it to Lyth at mid-on.  The Foxes could have been 20 for two when Budinger smashed Dom Bess straight back at the bowler but despite Bess having a couple attempts he couldn’t take the catch.

It turned out to be 20 for two when  Kimber cue ended Milnes and the went up in the air and Bess running from mid-on took the catch.

After the power play was over Lyth was brought into the attack and he struck with his first ball. Former Yorkshire captain Shan Masood tried to blast him out of the attack but found Bess on the long-on boundary.

Budinger top edged a sweep off Bess and the bowler stood under the ball and took the catch. Lewis Hill tried to sweep Jafer Chohan but top edged it the ball went up in the air behind stumper Duke and Dan Moriarty ran from short fine leg to take the catch.  Jafer Chohan got on a hattrick when Cox tried to glance him  off his legs and Duke took the catch.

Bess took his 50th  T20 wicket for Yorkshire when he trapped Trevaskis leg before for five.

After losing three wickets on 61 Scriven and Van Beek added some stability by adding 24 in three overs until Scriven gently placed Moriarty to Luxton on the long-on boundary.

Top scorer for the Foxes with 26, Van Beek  had a big swing at Jafer Chohan and was stumped by Duke.  Last man Salisbury was bowled by one that flicked his leg bail.

Luxton added: “We’ve been close in the three previous games.  Everything clicked today and unfortunately that’s not been happening in the first three games but we always turn up for the next game with the same attitude and hope to play game like today. For me it’s great to bat in the top three because it’s a free role.”

Leicestershire Foxes Head coach Alfonso Thomas said: “It was a tough one but I’ve got to take my hat off to Malan, he is an experienced character and he played well.

What is disappointing for me is that for the first time we have not shown the fight or character. I don’t mind losing a game if I’ve  seen some fight. The guys are tired because the games  come thick and fast but that’s no excuse.

Yorkshire put us under pressure early doors and we didn’t recover. They utilised the short boundary and the wind but that’s the nature of T20 games and if you can’t get the momentum back you are out of the game.

Today everything and anything that can go wrong went wrong.”

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