Jaques leads Yorkshire chase to earn quarter-final spot

YORKSHIRE are through to the Twenty20 Cup quarter-finals and no one will fancy playing them on this form.

A six-wicket victory confirmed their place with two group matches still to play.

After Nottinghamshire made 148-6 after winning the toss, Yorkshire romped home with 14 balls to spare.

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On this evidence it will take a good team to stop them winning the competition, let alone prevent them reaching Finals Day.

Yorkshire conclude their group campaign against Lancashire at Old Trafford tonight (7pm start) and Derbyshire at Headingley Carnegie on Sunday (2.40pm start).

Although those games are now effectively dead, they are important in the sense Yorkshire can book themselves a home quarter-final on July 24 or July 25.

The winners of the three groups, along with the best second-placed side, are guaranteed a home tie, an advantage Yorkshire have never had on the two previous occasions they have reached the quarter-finals.

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They also reached the last eight in 2008 only to be eliminated for fielding an ineligible player in Azeem Rafiq in the corresponding group fixture against Nottinghamshire.

With Nottinghamshire ahead of Yorkshire going into this game only on net run-rate, the winners of last night’s match knew they would definitely progress to the knockout stages.

And on a sultry night by the banks of the Trent, with just under 7,000 spectators inside the ground, Yorkshire could not have made a better start as Joe Root had Riki Wessels caught at mid-wicket by Rich Pyrah from the game’s first ball.

Root conceded only one run from his opening over, as did Mitchell Starc when he bowled the second over from the Pavilion End.

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But 16 arrived off the third over, bowled by Iain Wardlaw, and a further 15 when Root returned to bowl his second over, the fifth of the innings. Nottinghamshire lost their second wicket to the opening delivery of the sixth over, Michael Lumb slicing Rich Pyrah to Phil Jaques at short third-man.

It was a poor shot by the former Yorkshire batsman, who made 20 from 18 deliveries and was just beginning to find his stride.

Samit Patel also made a present of his wicket, skying Rafiq’s third delivery to Adam Lyth at deep extra-cover.

It left the home side 56-3 in the ninth over – a disappointing start in favourable conditions.

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Adam Voges held the innings together, accumulating sensibly in the face of tidy bowling from Starc and Pyrah in particular.

The Nottinghamshire captain reached a half-century from 44 balls in the 15th over, moments after James Taylor was fourth out with the total on 87, bowled trying to turn Moin Ashraf to leg.

Chris Read was another who fell in disappointing fashion, sweeping a delivery from Rafiq down the throat of David Miller at deep square-leg to leave Nottinghamshire 115-5 in the 17th over.

Voges went on to 70, fashioned from 57 balls with five fours, before he was sixth out to the first delivery of the final over, bowled by Starc, who sent his middle stump cart-wheeling out of the ground.

Nottinghamshire’s total looked short – and so it proved.

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In contrast to the home side’s innings, which produced a wicket from the opening ball, the first delivery of Yorkshire’s reply was thumped for four by Lyth.

Lyth took a further two fours off that over, bowled by spinner Graeme White, before Yorkshire had a let-off when Jaques, on two, was dropped by Wessels at deep mid-off off Darren Pattinson from the opening delivery of the third over.

The openers scored 46 from the six power play overs before Lyth was held at deep mid-off in the seventh over, having scored 33 from 21 balls.

Root struck 27 from 16 balls before picking out cover, Jonny Bairstow was stumped and Miller caught at backward square-leg.

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But Jaques, badly dropped on 38 by Steven Mullaney at deep mid-wicket off White, saw Yorkshire home with an unbeaten 58, Gary Ballance contributing an undefeated 26 and winning the game with two successive straight sixes off White.

All-rounder Patel and Bairstow were allowed to play after being released by England.

Bairstow will also be available for Yorkshire’s Roses match at Old Trafford tonight, and he and Patel will rejoin England in time for tomorrow’s fourth ODI at Emirates Durham ICG.