Winless start leaves Yorkshire needing to 'get smart' in Vitality Blast

Essex won a thrilling contest at Headingley on Friday night by just three runs with three balls remaining, the defeat leaving Yorkshire still searching for a win after four games and regretting another game that again got away from them.

The visitors posted 146-7 and Yorkshire seemed to be on their way to ending their wait for victory in the shorter format, only to lose their last three wickets for nine runs in the final two overs.

“We’re very disappointed,” said Kalis. “For 80 percent of the game we were probably in a position to win it and should’ve done.

“We were sloppy in the field again, and ones became twos. In the end, we lost wickets cheaply. When you play against good teams, you can’t afford to play like that.

“We’ve done quite a bit well. But, being so close to the win, we need to be a smarter with how we play. That is something we need to learn, and now we have a few days away from cricket to reflect on things we do well and things that we don’t do well.

“It comes a bit from experience. But, when you play against good teams like Essex, you can’t get away with being sloppy and you make it harder for yourself.

“We probably should have won – we all know that.”

Essex reached 48-0 initially, due mainly to Grace Scrivens, while Yorkshire had no answer until the introduction of leg-spinner Holly Garton in the eighth over when she bowled Alice MacLeod around her legs for 22.

Scrivens brought up her half-century off 38 balls in the 12th over as some poor fielding helped Essex reach 83-2 with eight overs left.

But a brilliant piece of wicket keeping from captain Lauren Winfield-Hill saw her grab a low outside edge off Scrivens to dismiss the opener for 53 off Ria Fackrell.

Essex then staggered to 97-5 as Joanne Gardner and Florence Miller went cheaply, although Jodi Grewcock (26) and Sophia Smale (21) flourished to ensure they posted a competitive score.

Winfield-Hill and Erin Thomas quickly reached 25 before the latter skied a Smale delivery to MacLeod for 17.

Winfield-Hill (18) was bowled by Scrivens before Jess Jonassen and Kalis took the score to 66 before the Australian all-rounder (10) fell in the same way to Scrivens.

Only 22 runs were added before Kalis was caught at cover by Scrivens for 23 off Smale.

Maddie Ward made 19 before she was caught trying to up the rate but and a six from Campbell off Scrivens’ last over made things interesting, leaving Yorkshire in need of 26 off three overs and then 14 off two.

Campbell top-scored with 26 but fell off the first ball of Eva Gray’s penultimate over and Beth Langston was out two balls later to leave Yorkshire 134-7 before a boundary and another wicket saw Thomas caught behind and Gray finish with 3-25.

With nine needed off the last over, Ines Blackwell was run out off the second ball before Ria Fackrell hit a boundary only to then be stumped next delivery as Essex claimed their second Blast win of the season.