David Willey and Adam Lyth blast record Yorkshire Vikings T20 run chase

“THE team with the most runs wins the game,” explained the recorded message as the crowd filed into Headingley last night.

“If the ball reaches the boundary, that’s four runs. If it gets there without bouncing, that’s a six.”

And so on.

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For a minute, one thought that The Dumbdred had perhaps begun early but no, the malaise has extended to the T20 Blast.

Yorkshire Vikings' Adil Rashid congratulates David Willey on his 75 not out after victory over Durham. (Picture: Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com)Yorkshire Vikings' Adil Rashid congratulates David Willey on his 75 not out after victory over Durham. (Picture: Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com)
Yorkshire Vikings' Adil Rashid congratulates David Willey on his 75 not out after victory over Durham. (Picture: Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com)

Thanks to that crash course in the rules, one had no idea, it can be reported that Yorkshire were the team who scored the most runs and therefore won the game, notching up 210 of them for the loss of four wickets to overhaul Durham’s 207-8.

It was, just to be serious for a moment, Yorkshire’s highest successful T20 chase, eclipsing their 196 against Derbyshire at Headingley in 2005, and something of a cakewalk as they won with 14 balls to spare.

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The ball reached the boundary off the bat of Adam Lyth (77) and David Willey (75 not out) in particular, and three times in both cases without bouncing in fact.

Lyth also hit 10 fours in his 33-ball innings and Willey eight in his 39-ball stay, Finn Allen chipping in with 29 on debut as Yorkshire made it two wins out of five.

Yorkshire Vikings' Adam Lyth hits out against Durham. (Picture: Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com)Yorkshire Vikings' Adam Lyth hits out against Durham. (Picture: Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com)
Yorkshire Vikings' Adam Lyth hits out against Durham. (Picture: Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com)

Earlier, Dominic Drakes, another overseas debutant for the hosts, returned a creditable 2-43 from four overs and was unlucky not to take more wickets.

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Not for the first time, and presumably not the last, Jordan Thompson was Yorkshire’s most successful bowler, taking a T20 career-best 4-32 with only Graham Clark (65) and Ollie Robinson (56) contributing significantly for the visitors.

On a fine evening for cricket, with the sun beating down and the pitch full of runs, Yorkshire were without Dawid Malan due to a “slight side strain” but welcomed back Harry Brook, who was released from England duty after being left out of the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s.

After Durham raced to 34-0 from three overs, Matthew Revis conceded only two runs from the fourth over and took a wicket with the first ball of it, Michael Jones carving to Thompson on the cover boundary.

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Yorkshire Vikings' David Willey hits the winning runs to end up 75 not out against Durham. (Picture: Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com)Yorkshire Vikings' David Willey hits the winning runs to end up 75 not out against Durham. (Picture: Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com)
Yorkshire Vikings' David Willey hits the winning runs to end up 75 not out against Durham. (Picture: Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com)

Revis would have had a second victim in the last over of the powerplay but a difficult return chance did not quite stick with Robinson on 11.

Robinson and Clark added 92 for the second-wicket in 54 balls, both men playing some handsome strokes. Clark whipped Adil Rashid over mid-wicket into the West Stand, and Robinson showed his power by launching Dom Bess into the middle tier of The Howard Stand over long-on.

Clark went to his fifty from 21 balls with eight fours to go with the six, Robinson following him to the milestone from 29 deliveries with four fours and two sixes.

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Durham were 104-1 at the halfway stage and seemingly well-placed for a match-winning score.

It took another catch on the cover boundary by Thompson, this time off Drakes, to break the second wicket partnership in the 12th over, the West Indian all-rounder – having seen several lofted shots loop agonisingly out of fielders’ reach – gaining justified reward when Clark tried one big shot too many.

Durham lost two wickets with the score on 148, Rashid trapping David Bedingham as he tried to work across the line and Thompson bowling Robinson, who was standing well outside his off stump and showing all three stumps to the bowler as he lined up the boundary to the leg-side.

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Brydon Carse, the muscular fast bowler, then produced possibly the second-biggest hit seen on this ground.

Carse launched Revis over long-on and into the third and top tier of The Howard Stand – not quite Liam Livingstone versus Haris Rauf, but not far off, and well done to the spectator who brilliantly plucked the ball out of the air. A free copy of The Yorkshire Post is not on its way.

Carse was the third batsman caught on the cover boundary, by Revis off Thompson, to leave Durham 175-5, which became 180-6 when Paul Coughlin was caught around the corner by Revis off Drakes.

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Drakes caught Liam Trevaskis, the Durham captain, at short third-man off Thompson, who claimed his fourth wicket when Ned Eckersley was bowled as he attempted an improvised stroke that defied description.

Yorkshire’s reply began in a blizzard of boundaries.

Allen lived up to his explosive reputation by striking successive sixes off Carse, one over long-on, the other pulled over mid-wicket and also the West Stand.

A third six followed when the New Zealander whipped Andrew Tye over deep backward-square, Lyth also lofting a six in the same direction off Coughlin. The openers had added 54 in 23 balls when Allen skied Tye to mid-off, where Trevaskis did extremely well to hold a steepling chance.

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Yorkshire were 79-1 at the end of the powerplay and had lifted their score to 124-1 when Lyth fell to the penultimate ball of the 10th over, lofting Ben Raine to Carse at cover.

It ended a stand of 70 in 33 balls with Willey, who also swung a six over the West Stand when Carse was hoisted over mid-wicket.

Brook pulled Raine to deep backward-square and Will Fraine was caught at point after an entertaining 22, but by then the matter was settled.

It was fitting that Willey won it with a six over long-on off Trevaskis, an emphatic end to a clinical chase.

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