Wiese lights the blue touchpaper as Yorkshire make it four wins on the spin

But it was a man at the opposite end of the career spectrum, the 38-year-old David Wiese, who played the starring role at the Uptonsteel County Ground.

Wiese is old enough to be Ahmed’s father, but sometimes there is no substitute for experience as the Yorkshire overseas star proved in this game.

When Wiese strode to the middle on a grey and gloomy evening, the sort that invites rueful reflections such as “what has happened to summer?”, or “summer was good while it lasted”, Yorkshire were in dire straits.

The scoreboard - shining through the murk like a lighthouse at midnight - read 78-7 with two balls left in the 14th over, after captain Shan Masood won his seventh toss in eight attempts since joining Yorkshire, a man who clearly has luck on his side.

A sub-100 total seemed possible, perhaps even likely, but Wiese helped Yorkshire double their score, smiting an unbeaten 50 from 30 balls with six fours and a six as the hosts reached 156-7.

The Namibia international received splendid assistance from Ben Mike, who contributed an undefeated 30 against his former club, the pair adding 78 from 39 balls, a Yorkshire eighth-wicket record in T20, eclipsing - as every anorak knows without even needing to check - the 54 shared between Tim Bresnan and James Middlebrook in the Roses T20 at Old Trafford in 2015.

Ultimately, it made the difference as Leicestershire were dismissed for 126 with three balls left of their innings, Wiese starting the reply with a maiden over, Jordan Thompson capturing a career-best 5-21 and leg-spinner Jafer Chohan impressing with 1-16 from four overs as Yorkshire achieved their fourth straight victory after they had started the competition with three straight defeats.

“We had to take it deep,” said Wiese, named man-of-the-match after the 30-run triumph.

"When you’re in that situation (78-7), you’ve just got to spend some time in the middle and hopefully explode a bit at the end, and fortunately it worked out.

“I see myself as an elder statesman, I suppose, and if I can help out in any way I can, that’s the main thing.

" We’ve got nice momentum now and hopefully we can keep that going.”

Before a crowd of 2,826, Yorkshire had started in disappointing manner. They lost Dawid Malan in the second over, the left-hander suffering a rare failure when he tried to pull Callum Parkinson, the left-arm spinner, and sliced a skier to short third-man.

Adam Lyth was bowled in the fourth over, shimmying down the pitch in an effort to hit Naveen-ul-Haq, the Pakistan pace bowler, through the leg-side, and Yorkshire were 42-2 at the end of the powerplay, a low-key opening beneath leaden skies.

James Wharton, the 22-year-old playing only his third T20, and his first since 2020, contributed half of the powerplay runs, including two delightful square-driven fours off Josh Hull, the tall left-arm pace man, and a third boundary arrived when he launched Michael Finan, another left-arm seamer, over mid-wicket towards The Meet cafe.

Wharton played nicely but his innings was cut off in its prime when he was the first of two wickets in successive balls for Ahmed, who bowled him playing back and then accepted a return from Jonny Tattersall.

Shan Masood was caught down the leg-side off an under-edge off Hull as Leicestershire turned the screw in the middle of the innings, and Thompson picked out deep mid-wicket to give Ahmed his third.

The 78-7 came up when Revis edged behi nd a drive off Hull, but Wiese clubbed the first six of the innings in the 16th over, sending a free-hit from Finan over long-off, and followed up by hammering him for four over cover to inject much-needed impetus. Mike pulled Naveen for six and then lofted Finan over long-off as 69 came off the last five overs.

Leicestershire lost wickets at regular intervals. Dom Bess had Nick Welch caught behind in the second over. Lewis Hill skied Thompson to Mike at backward-point, a well-judged catch. Thompson had Rishi Patel lbw. Chohan bowled Louis Kimber aiming to leg. Revis had Ahmed pulling to Wharton at mid-on and the hosts slid to 84-6 when Arron Lilley lofted a high return to Mike.

Mulder, the 25-year-old South African, hit five boundaries in 46 from 40 balls, but Leicestershire’s hopes effectively ended when he then launched Thompson to Mike at deep mid-wicket, Thompson striking again next ball when Naveen found Wharton at third man.

Wiese also took a catch at third man to remove Parkinson off Mike, and Thompson finished things off by holding a skier from Finan off his own bowling.