Depleted Yorkshire suffer T20 defeat as Headingley quartet told to self-isolate

Accused of institutional racism by one of its former players, a claim that is presently the subject of an investigation, it has now lost four of its first team to Covid-19.

David Willey, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Matthew Fisher and Josh Poysden are all self-isolating for 14 days after Willey tested positive for coronavirus, with the four players having met up on Saturday prior to the captain developing symptoms. Willey’s wife, Carolynne, has also tested positive for the disease.

“The four players were deemed to be in close contact on Saturday, separate to the squad and away from a Covid-secure environment,” said Yorkshire in a statement released three hours before last night’s game.

“One player has had a positive test returned, and as all four players were deemed to be in close contact, all four have been advised to self-isolate for 14 days, as per Covid guidelines.”

The four are consequently unavailable for tonight’s match against Lancashire at Old Trafford, as well as the final group game against Derbyshire at Headingley on Sunday. They had already missed Monday’s home tie with Lancashire pending Willey’s test result.

With three players also missing on international duty, Joe Root, Adil Rashid and Jonny Bairstow, and another in Gary Ballance still recovering after illness, it has been a case of “hands up who is available?” for Yorkshire first XI coach Andrew Gale, who was hoping to have Root and Rashid available at Old Trafford after yesterday’s climax to the international summer.

Given that they were so heavily depleted, it was perhaps no surprise that Yorkshire slipped to their third successive T20 defeat at Emerald Headingley last night, a 43-run loss effectively ending their hopes of reaching the quarter-finals on October 1, by which time the Covid quartet would be available.

In grim and gloomy weather, a meteorological metaphor, perhaps, for Yorkshire’s dark September, the hosts appeared to have given themselves better than a fighting chance by dismissing Durham for 147 in the 20th over.

But the loss of key batsmen Adam Lyth and Dawid Malan to the final two balls of the second over, bowled by pace man Matty Potts, made a seemingly manageable chase a difficult one, and wickets fell at regular intervals.

Only Will Fraine (28) made any score of note – remarkably the joint-highest of the night along with Durham opener Graham Clark – as the hosts were dismissed with 20 balls of their innings left.

Duanne Olivier, who bowled superbly for 2-16 from four overs in the only change to the Yorkshire team from Monday’s game, said: “It was disappointing to be without the four players, and we wish Dave and his wife well.

“But we’ve got a big squad and players who can perform, and it was very disappointing to get bowled out for not a lot on a good wicket and it wasn’t our best performance.

“Now we’ve got another massive game, a Roses game, and hopefully we can rectify the mistakes that we made. There’s still two games left, and we want to finish on a high.”

After winning the toss, Yorkshire bowled well collectively, with acting captain Adam Lyth and Jordan Thompson also taking two wickets apiece. Off-spinner Jack Shutt provided economical support.

But when Potts had Lyth caught at mid-on and then induced Malan to chop on, Yorkshire were always up against it. Fraine hit four boundaries and young George Hill showed plenty of courage, but Yorkshire never threatened to pull off a win that they realistically required.

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