Yorkshire CCC captain Shan Masood reveals points haul needed to make Vitality T20 Blast quarter-finals

Yorkshire were hammered by North Group rivals Derbyshire on Sunday when losing at Chesterfield by 144 runs. The bounce-back win they had planned at home to Northamptonshire on Tuesday night failed to materialise when they were well-beaten again, another ineffective run chase seeing them lose out by 78 runs when targetting the visitors’ 180-6.

With three games remaining, the Vikings sit fifth in the group table, level on 12 points with the two teams immediately above them, Roses rivals Lancashire Lightning and Worcestershire Rapids.

Leaders Birmingham Bears and second-placed Notts Outlaws are two points better off, with the Edgbaston club having one extra game remaining.

They visit Headingley on Thursday night, when Masood will be hoping his team can end their mini-slump and get themselves back in the race for a top-four finish.

“If we win all three games, we’re qualifying for sure,” said Masood in the wake of Tuesday’s dispiriting home defeat to the Steelbacks. “If we win two out of three, we’re in the hunt. But we haven’t let net run-rate go in our favour. The target is 16 points. I think that will be good to take us through.

"Look, three good days and we’ll forget about these two bad days.”

Masood said his team needed to improve when it came to pressing home dominant positions they had created for themselves in several games.

“Losses are always going to happen, but what we have to work on is the manner of the losses – that goes for both the batting and bowling departments,” he added.

“I’ll keep going back. We had Birmingham 50-4 against us, Derby 49-3. Both teams got 200. Then when teams have gone through our top order, they’ve gone through the whole batting line-up even though we bat until 11.

“Two sides, Derby and the Steelbacks, have shown us that once you get that momentum you have to go through with it.”