Derbyshire land hefty knockout blow to Yorkshire’s T20 Blast hopes

AARON FINCH’s season could be over – and so could Yorkshire’s hopes of reaching the quarter-finals of the T20 Blast.
Frustration for Yorkshire's Jonny Bairstow as Derbyshire's Shiv Thakor survives a scare off the bowling of Adil Rashid at Chesterfield on Sunday afternoon. Picture: Steve Riding.Frustration for Yorkshire's Jonny Bairstow as Derbyshire's Shiv Thakor survives a scare off the bowling of Adil Rashid at Chesterfield on Sunday afternoon. Picture: Steve Riding.
Frustration for Yorkshire's Jonny Bairstow as Derbyshire's Shiv Thakor survives a scare off the bowling of Adil Rashid at Chesterfield on Sunday afternoon. Picture: Steve Riding.

The Australian batsman has a suspected stress reaction in his right foot and did not play in yesterday’s four-wicket defeat to Derbyshire at Chesterfield, which left Yorkshire needing to win their last three games to stand any chance of reaching the knockout stages.

It emerged yesterday that Finch sustained the injury during Friday’s match against Durham at Headingley, and director of cricket Martyn Moxon admitted he may not play again for the club this year.

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“In a worst-case scenario, it could be the end of the season for him,” said Moxon, whose side scored 146-9 at Queen’s Park before bottom club Derbyshire won with seven balls to spare.

“It’s not looking great; he’s had a scan and, from an initial reading of that scan, it looks as though there’s some kind of a stress reaction.

“We’re going to get another reading on it and, hopefully, a conclusive diagnosis, but it looks as though Finchy could be out for a while.

“He set off to run for a ball in the field on Friday, and he felt a little crack in his foot; he must have had his weight at the wrong angle, or something.”

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Moxon confirmed that Glenn Maxwell, the club’s other overseas player, would cover for Finch if he is unable to return from this latest setback, which follows a recent hamstring injury.

After tomorrow’s T20 game at home to Worcestershire, Maxwell is away for a fortnight on the Australia A tour of India, but he will return to the club thereafter and stay until Australia’s one-day series against England, with the New Zealander Kane Williamson set to replace him on August 24.

“We’ll muddle on through without an overseas player for the two weeks that Glenn’s away,” said Moxon.

“When he returns, he’ll be available to play for us in all forms.

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“It’s disappointing for Aaron, of course, and very frustrating.

“For someone who doesn’t normally pick up injuries, he’s had two big ones potentially now in the last few months.”

News of Finch’s foot problem capped a disappointing day for Yorkshire, who remain the epitome of inconsistency in T20.

They hoped to have turned a corner with Friday’s win over Durham, but a contest at Chesterfield that they would have expected to win nine times out of 10 on paper – with or without Finch – slipped away from them before a sell-out crowd of 4,000.

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On a slow but true pitch, and on a sunny day blown along by a stiff breeze, Yorkshire were in immediate trouble when they fell to 16-3 inside five overs after being sent into bat.

Adil Rashid – promoted to open in the absence of Finch –third over to the off-spin of Wes Durston, the Derbyshire captain, with Lees’s departure for a single bringing his average against Derbyshire in all cricket down from a frankly ridiculous 495 to a still preposterous 248.

Durston then claimed the wicket of his opposite number, Andrew Gale, on his way to an outstanding return of 3-14 from four overs.

Maxwell and Jonny Bairstow got the innings back on track with a stand of 64 in eight overs, ended when Bairstow turned Greg Cork – son of Dominic – to short fine-leg.

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Eight balls later, Maxwell fell too, leaving Yorkshire 88-5 in the 14th over. The Australian was bowled by Shiv Thakor for 45, made from 29 balls with five fours and a six, his second-highest innings for the club in T20.

Tim Bresnan picked out deep mid-wicket as Yorkshire slid to 103-6, while three wickets fell in the final over, bowled by Thakor, as Jack Leaning went lbw for 37, Will Rhodes was run-out and Liam Plunkett caught at long-off for a breezy 17.

Durston fell in the second over of the hosts’ reply, bowled by the teenager Matthew Fisher.

Maxwell won an lbw decision against Chesney Hughes, but Derbyshire scored at a rate of knots, reaching 68-2 after the six powerplay overs.

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Much of the impetus was provided by Hamish Rutherford, the New Zealand left-hander, who made 40 from 24 balls with six fours and a six before he was third out at 72, caught and bowled by Plunkett.

Needing only a run-a-ball at that stage, Derbyshire had only to knock it around and play sensibly, but they showed panic when Thakor was run-out after Wayne Madsen cut Rashid to point, and the leg-spinner caused problems during four overs that cost only 16 runs.

Madsen regrouped and found a reassuring ally in Billy Godleman, with whom he added 41 in six overs to effectively settle the issue.

Madsen did eventually perish three overs out, top-edging a pull off Bresnan to Bairstow, having hit 41 from 38 balls with four boundaries.

Godleman was run-out after a mix-up with Alex Hughes, but the target proved too comfortable in the end.

For Yorkshire, it had been another case of one step forward, two steps back.

Scorecard: Page 11.