Yorkshire CCC come up short on dramatic night at Headingley

Going into the last two overs they needed 18 runs with six wickets left, and with Donovan Ferreira, their overseas player, unbeaten on a scintillating 66 from 31 balls.

Ferreira struck the next delivery, from spinner Dan Mousley, into the hands of Craig Miles at long-off in pursuit of an eighth six, and neither Shan Masood, the captain, nor Jordan Thompson, the all-rounder, could quite get their valiant team over the line.

George Garton, the left-arm pace bowler, held his nerve with 11 wanted off the final over, and Masood, having to strike a six off the final ball, could only send a single up to long-off.

The four-run defeat left Yorkshire sixth in the nine-team North Group after their fifth loss to go with four wins, Birmingham extending their advantage to three points at the top.

Earlier, Sam Hain, the 28-year-old batsman, had played quite magnificently to underpin their total of 214-7, top-scoring with an unbeaten 98 from 48 balls with eight sixes and five fours.

Hain was denied what would have been his second T20 century by the fact that he was unable to get back on strike in the final over, with Alex Davies, his captain, chipping in with 43 and with Yorkshire shipping 67 runs in the final four overs, a wayward finish that cost them in the end.

Before a crowd of 6,331 on an overcast night, Yorkshire – whose highest T20 chase was the pursuit of 208 to beat Durham at Headingley two years ago – could not have made a better start.

Dan Moriarty (pictured) took a wicket with the first ball of the contest, bowling Ed Barnard during a powerplay of two halves – 17-1 after three overs; 67-1 after six.

Davies and Mousley added 53 for the second wicket from 30 balls, Mousley chopping on a cover drive off Conor McKerr before Thompson trapped Davies.

Birmingham slipped to 109-4 when Jacob Bethell lofted Moriarty to deep mid-wicket, and to 143-5 in the 16th when Chris Benjamin tried a premeditated scoop at Thompson and paid for the audacity.

Then came the grandstand finale, triggered by McKerr’s third over, which went for 25 and in which Hain hit three sixes.

Adam Lyth fell in the second over of the chase, caught behind trying to launch leg-side, but Dawid Malan and James Wharton led Yorkshire to 65-1 at the end of the powerplay.

Wharton reverse-swept spinner Mousley for six and then pulled Zakary Foulkes so high into the West Stand that the ball was almost snow-capped when it returned to terra firma.

Wharton fell trying another big hit off spinner Danny Briggs, having added 62 with Malan in 37 balls, Briggs striking again when Hill swept and missed.

Malan was caught on the leg-side boundary for 54 from 44 to give Briggs his third scalp, and despite Ferreira’s coruscating counter-attack, Yorkshire fell short.