Durham v Yorkshire Vikings - Vitality Blast: This Yorkshire side are better off chasing down the game, says David Willey

HOME has proved especially sweet for Yorkshire in T20; less so the grounds of their North Group opponents.

As they continue a run of six away matches in seven, with Friday’s fixture against Durham in Chester-le-Street the second in that sequence, Yorkshire will be aiming to build on the rarity of a T20 triumph on their travels, having battered Birmingham Bears by 10 wickets at Edgbaston last Friday.

Last season, Yorkshire lost six of seven T20 away games, if one includes the quarter-final against Sussex played at the neutral venue of Chester-le-Street because Headingley was in use for the India Test, with only a 94-run win at Worcester breaking the sequence.

That came largely thanks to a certain Jonny Bairstow, who had his “Jonny eyes” on that night, as Ben Stokes likes to call them, and no mistake, pummelling 112 from 51 balls with 10 sixes and seven fours.

In contrast, Yorkshire won all six of their completed home fixtures, and although they have not been quite so clinical on home soil this year, winning three and losing three, captain David Willey believes that the club can shake off the tag of poor travellers and be consistently successful home and away.

Willey, who misses the Durham match, Saturday’s game against Derbyshire in Chesterfield and, in all probability, Thursday’s trip to Worcester due to his involvement in England’s one-day international series in the Netherlands, likened it to the fact that Yorkshire have also been branded poor chasers in T20.

“I think there’s a tag that’s hung around for a long time that we can’t play away from home and we can’t chase,” said Willey, who hopes to return for next Friday’s match at Northants, who have re-signed him on a four-year deal that will take effect from the end of the season.

“But look what we did to Birmingham. We won the game and we chased a score beautifully, and I actually feel like our best way to win games is chasing with the side that we’ve got.

“I don’t think it should be a problem (the away games coming up) if we continue to play the style of cricket that we’re playing, and the lads go out and deliver.

“There’s certainly no reason why we can’t play away from home, or at a neutral venue, and win games of cricket.”

Yorkshire are also without Dawid Malan and Adil Rashid due to the ODI series but are set to welcome back leg-spinning all-rounder Shadab Khan after his involvement in Pakistan’s series at home to West Indies as well as the New Zealand batsman Finn Allen, who missed the last two games with Covid.

Shadab has had a poor time of it so far, with combined figures of 1-116 from 12 overs in his four appearances and just 22 runs in three innings, but Willey is backing him to hit the ground running on his return.

“He’s an excellent player,” he said.

“I think any time you go to a new environment, sometimes it can take you a few games to find your feet, so I’m sure he’ll come in and deliver some good performances for us and help win us games.

“The challenge, if you like, will be less experienced guys coming in with Rash, Mala and myself not here and still being brave enough to go and play cricket without any fear, which I’m sure they will.

“Certainly, if we play the style of cricket that we talk about, then we’ll get results.”

Yorkshire are aiming to win the T20 trophy for the first time and Willey added: “I think historically Yorkshire have had a traditional hat on when it comes to white-ball cricket, which we’ve been trying to branch us off for the past few years now, and we’re getting there.

“It’s just a case of guys going out and being brave enough to take their options on and throw the first punches.

“I just want us to be brave and put the opposition under pressure, myself included.

“Hopefully, all of us can continue to do that.”