Yorkshire will struggle to digest disappointing manner of defeat

The filling in this instance was a stand of 129 between Adil Rashid (71) and Jack Leaning (56), Yorkshire’s highest for the sixth-wicket in List A cricket.

The slices of bread either side of the filling were a collapse to 45-5 that brought Rashid and Leaning together, and then a collapse from 174-5 to 192 all-out once Rashid was dismissed.

The unpalatable upshot was a three-wicket defeat as Gloucestershire – who batted almost as badly themselves – reached their target with 4.4 overs to spare.

Once again, it was thus a case of one step forward, two steps back for Yorkshire in limited-overs cricket.

Having started their one-day cup campaign with a convincing 47-run victory at Lancashire, this was a much easier match on paper and one they would win more often than not.

But their susceptibility to batting collapses, which effectively did for them in the T20 Blast, returned to haunt them before a crowd of around 3,500.

It did not best please director of cricket Martyn Moxon.

“It was very disappointing – chalk and cheese from the Lancashire game,” he said.

“From the outset we weren’t at the races, and we suffered as a consequence.

“There was only one partnership of note, and we were all-out with nine overs of our innings left, which was criminal really.

“We need to be much better going forward.”

Yorkshire began in the manner of a side that had scored 
324-7 against Lancashire – in other words, they came out playing a shot a ball.

But the pitch was not as true for batting and slower than the one in Manchester, and the batsmen did not adapt.

Alex Lees hit successive boundaries to third man before slapping to point, while fellow opener Adam Lyth was pinned lbw trying to hit to leg.

Two of Yorkshire’s big guns were therefore silenced inside the first three overs.

David Payne and Will Gidman, the Gloucestershire opening bowlers, did not have everything their own way as Kane Williamson and Andrew Gale played one or two good shots.

Williamson cut Gidman for four to get off the mark, and Gale twice cut Payne to the boundary in front of the West Stand.

But with the total on 45, Yorkshire lost 3-0 in 15 balls as Gale was caught behind slashing at Payne, Williamson caught behind from a good one from Gidman, and Jonny Bairstow caught low down at first slip by Michael Klinger off Payne. Bairstow stood his ground while the umpires debated if the ball carried, his dismissal arriving during a period in which Yorkshire did not score for 27 deliveries.

Klinger, the captain, kept his opening bowlers on for the first 15 overs and Yorkshire prospered when they were withdrawn.

The support attack was less threatening, and Rashid and Leaning took advantage as they ensured their side had a total to work with.

They raised their fifty stand from 80 balls and expanded as Leaning cover-drove off-spinner Jack Taylor to the boundary before Rashid danced down the track to loft him over cover for a one-bounce four.

Rashid went to his maiden List A fifty when he pulled the left-arm spin of Tom Smith to the boundary, reaching the milestone from 71 balls.

Leaning was badly dropped on 47 by Smith at third man off Craig Miles, Rashid whacking Miles’s next delivery over cover for six.

But the partnership – which eclipsed the 128 unbroken between Anthony McGrath and Gary Fellows against Essex at Chelmsford in 2002 – ended when Rashid was caught by Ian Cockbain at long-on off Benny Howell, having faced 83 balls and hit seven fours.

It was the first of five wickets in 22 balls as Tim Bresnan was run-out pushing to mid-off, Rich Pyrah run-out pushing into the leg-side, Leaning stumped off a wide and Jack Brooks lbw.

Yorkshire were all-out with 50 balls of their innings remaining.

Bresnan picked up two early wickets in the reply, Gloucestershire rallying to 69-2 before crashing to 83-6 through giveaway shots.

But Gidman showed steel to add 69 for the seventh-wicket in 14 overs with Taylor, the latter putting the game back in the balance when he foolishly slashed Rashid’s final ball to slip.

Gidman, who ended unbeaten on 71, added an unbroken 41 for the eighth-wicket with Smith before Bresnan finished the match with a wide.

It rather summed up Yorkshire’s day.