Adam Hits Out!

By Gary Watton
June 14 2016

Yorkshire are now three matches unbeaten in limited overs cricket! This startling development owes itself to a magnificent century knock from Adam Lyth. Lyth's heroics, featuring several sixes, make a nonsense of his exclusion from the failing Twenty20 team. Hopefully the stubborn slectors and captain will see sense. Meanwhile, Alex Lees yet again won the toss, but unfortunately his prowess at winning the toss does not then transfer to his batting which still remains distinctly lack lustre and ill equipped for opening the batting. 

In fact Lees's decision to bowl first was far from vindicated, as the visitors racked up a more than competitive total which looked a tall order for a struggling Yorkshire team, evidently short on one-day confidence. We would have been hoping for some inspiration from the returning Williamson, but happily it was Lyth who stepped up to the mark with a crowd-pleasing performance of aggressive batting. However, although Adam set the tone and laid the foundations for a successful run chase, his efforts were severely undermined by yet another failure for Leaning as well as very cheap dismissals for Rashid and Plunkett that left the hosts with little margin for error until David Willey emphatically took us over the finishing line with about fifteen balls to spare. Favourable mention must also go to Gary Ballance who was the glue that kept the innings together, when others around him were losing their head and their wickets.

Hopefully Yorkshire can kick on from here. This is definitely a morale booster for the troops, but there are still worries about whether Leaning and Lees are going to score heavily, or will we be reliant on the same two or three individuals? As for our bowling, well there is still definitely room for improvement there too. 

Royal London One-day Cup: YORKSHIRE PHOENIX versus Northamptonshire Steelbacks; in Scarborough; Tuesday the fourteenth of June 2016. YORKSHIRE PHOENIX won the toss.

Northamptonshire Steelbacks: 310 for seven (off fifty overs)

Cobb c Williamson b Plunkett 23 (35-2)

Rossington lbw b Willey 8 (20-1)

Duckett c Leaning b Rashid 121 (246-5)

Wakely c and b Lyth 71 (201-3)

Keogh c Bresnan b Plunkett 0 (206-4)

Crook not out 46

Newton c and b Patterson 26 (296-6)

White c Plunkett b Willey 6 (304-7)

Gleeson not out 1

Extras: eight

YORKSHIRE PHOENIX: 314 for eight (off 47.3 overs)

Lyth c Gleeson b White 125 (189-3)

Lees c Sanderson b Crook 20 (106-1)

Williamson b Gleeson 10 (132-2)

Ballance b Azharullah 80 (303-7)

Leaning c and b Cobb 0 (189-4)

Rashid c Rossington b White 1 (192-5)

Bresnan c Cobb b White 38 (250-6)

Willey not out 26

Plunkett b Azharullah 0 (303-8)

Hodd not out 4

Extras: ten

White 3-45

YORKSHIRE PHOENIX win by two wickets. YORKSHIRE PHOENIX two points, Northamptonshire Steelbacks nul points.

BATTING CHARTS:

Adam Lyth: 134 runs; average: 67; highest score: 125

Gary Ballance: 110 runs; average: 55; highest score: 80