Wharton continues T20 love affair with Worcestershire as O’Rourke and Luxton also star

It was two years ago that Wharton, the tall and powerful right-hand batsman, announced himself in the corresponding game with a memorable, unbeaten 111. He has since established himself in the Yorkshire top-order and although he has had a reasonable season so far, with a quartet of 60 scores in the County Championship, here was something a little more substantial, a performance that should give him plenty of heart and confidence going forward.

Wharton made his runs from 47 balls with 12 fours and a six and struck the ball cleanly and with blistering power. He would be the first to admit that it was by no means a one-man show as Will Luxton matched him stride for stride during their third-wicket stand of 134 from just 70 balls.

Luxton contributed 81 from 47 deliveries with six fours and four sixes, eclipsing his previous T20 best of 62 against Leicestershire at Headingley last year, before holing out to deep cover from the final ball of the 16th over. The 22-year-old is another tall right-hander who strikes the ball cleanly and with blistering power. The future - in the hands of Luxton and Wharton at the top of the order in the T20 – looks bright, their efforts here compensating for the early departures of Jonny Baristow and Dawid Malan, caught at mid-off and deep square-leg respectively before Yorkshire recovered to post their joint fourth-highest T20 total, equalling their effort in the corresponding fixture eight years ago.

A dash of overseas quality always helps and, on his penultimate appearance for the club, O’Rourke supplied it with the decisive contribution in the Worcestershire chase. Still a pup himself at the age of 23, O’Rourke struck with his first two balls of the evening from The Howard Stand end as Worcestershire slipped to 24-2 in the third over. First, Isaac Mohammed chipped straight up in the air to wicketkeeper Bairstow, then Kashif Ali gave catching practice to wide mid-off.

When Adam Hose sliced Matt Milnes to a diving O’Rourke at short third-man, it was clearly O’Rourke’s night and there seemed no way back for the visitors at 37-3. However, Brett D’Oliveira, the captain, and Ethan Brookes had carried the total to 120 in the 12th over by the time the next wicket fell, Brookes trying an ugly reverse pull at leg-spinner Jafer Chohan and paying the price.

Still O’Rourke was not done, returning to take the key wicket of D’Oliveira, caught at cow corner by Dom Bess for the top score of 53 from 36 balls with three fours and three sixes.

Head bowed, D’Oliveira walked off slowly and with the air of a man who suspected that his side’s goose was cooked, the score standing at 132-5 in the 13th over and still a whopping 102 runs still needed.

Any flickering hope effectively disappeared when Milnes served up a wicket maiden in the 17th over, something that you do not see every day of the week.

The pace bowler had Gareth Roderick slicing to deep cover from the fifth ball of that over, where Thompson held the catch in front of the West Stand, the all-rounder having earlier played his part with 23 from eight balls at the end of the Yorkshire innings, including three leg-side sixes off Waite in that final over in which Wharton perished.

Wharton had his revenge on Waite when he took a brilliant catch running in from deep mid-wicket to give O’Rourke his fourth scalp of the evening.

His fifth arrived next ball when Tom Taylor lofted to cover, Ben Dwarshuis’s unbeaten 42 from 17 balls, including three fours and three sixes, in vain as Worcestershire were bowled out with five balls of their innings unused.

Afterwards, O’Rourke paid tribute to Wharton and Luxton as he reflected on his own outstanding display.

“It was a classy act from those two guys,” he said. “We lost a couple of wickets early and then for those two young fellows to consolidate for us and get us up to a massive total was awesome.

“Then, with that total on the board, they were always going to have to go from ball one, and I was lucky enough to come away with the rewards.

“The boys bowled well and, for me, it was just one of those days.”