Yorkshire CCC: Jordan Thompson keen to repeat his T20 Blast heroics for Vikings on Finals Day

THEY CALL him “the man who makes things happen” – and how Jordan Thompson made things happen at the Oval on Wednesday.
By Chris Waters
Published 7th Jul 2022, 16:45 BST
Updated 7th Jul 2022, 17:21 BST

Just five runs were needed when Thompson ran in to bowl the final over of a pulsating Twenty20 quarter-final against Surrey.

Laurie Evans and Jamie Overton were in the throes of a sixth-wicket stand of 65 in 31 balls and there seemed no way back for Thompson and the team. But then “the man who makes things happen” did just that, conceding only three runs from the last six balls, which included two wickets, one of them a run-out.

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“It was a case of trying to out-think the batter,” reflected Thompson. “That’s why I went first ball, bouncer (which Overton missed), next ball I went yorker (Overton took a single), yorker again (Evans took a single), and then I went slower ball to Overton, he missed and started running (and was run-out by wicketkeeper Tom Kohler-Cadmore).”

Yorkshire's Jordan Thompson (right) celebrates taking the wicket of Surrey's Sunil Narine during the Vitality Blast T20 quarter-final at The Oval. Picture: Mike Egerton/PAYorkshire's Jordan Thompson (right) celebrates taking the wicket of Surrey's Sunil Narine during the Vitality Blast T20 quarter-final at The Oval. Picture: Mike Egerton/PA
Yorkshire's Jordan Thompson (right) celebrates taking the wicket of Surrey's Sunil Narine during the Vitality Blast T20 quarter-final at The Oval. Picture: Mike Egerton/PA

Thompson then had Sunil Narine coolly caught on the boundary by Will Fraine at deep backward-square before Gus Atkinson could only take a bye off the final delivery.

“I tried to go yorker again last ball,” added Thompson. “Looking back it was probably the most ‘slot ball’ of the lot and should have gone for six.

“But when it’s your night, it’s your night, and we did absolutely fantastic to defend 160.

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“By my standards, in the last few games, I haven’t been great with the ball, but I got it right this time and to stand up in a big moment like that was great.

Yorkshire's Jordan Thompson celebrates victory over Surrey after the final ball in the Vitality Blast T20 quarter-final at The Oval. Picture: Mike Egerton/PAYorkshire's Jordan Thompson celebrates victory over Surrey after the final ball in the Vitality Blast T20 quarter-final at The Oval. Picture: Mike Egerton/PA
Yorkshire's Jordan Thompson celebrates victory over Surrey after the final ball in the Vitality Blast T20 quarter-final at The Oval. Picture: Mike Egerton/PA

“Hopefully, next Saturday (Finals Day at Edgbaston on July 16) is our day as well.”

Thompson and co will take on Lancashire or Essex in the first-semi-final, with those sides meeting at Old Trafford on Friday.

Yorkshire have never won the T20 in the 20 seasons of the competition but now have a terrific opportunity to break their duck.

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Having got into the quarter-finals effectively by default, after Leicestershire were docked two points ahead of a winner-takes-all tie at Grace Road on Sunday, which Yorkshire lost, now they have got through to Finals Day in improbable style.

Is their name on the trophy this year perhaps?

With “the man who makes things happen” in their ranks, anything could happen.

Related topics:Jordan ThompsonYorkshire CCCVikingsSurrey

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