By Gary Watton
July 15 2016

Yorkshire's recent knack of winning close contests finally came unstuck against the Nottinghamshire Outlaws who themselves inflicted a painfully narrow triumph over their northern neighbours. It could and should have been so much different. Adam Lyth, who rarely does himself justice in Twenty20 outings, launched a fearsome onslaught, ably assisted by the overseas pair of the returning Williamson and the impressive debutant Travis Head. Unfortunately, our position of strength at ten overs of ninety runs was undermined by less dynamic fare in the second half of the innings.

Young Rhodes again failed his audition, mustering a paltry eight runs from twelve balls faced. At the death of an innings, all batsmen need to be scoring a bare minimum of a run a ball, and yet Will's figures were more in keeping with a batsman on the first morning of a test match. His captain was even worse. Lees followed up his abject failure on Sunday past with one run off six deliveries. Like his previous captain, Andrew Gale, Lees seems to insist on opening the batting in Twenty20 when he is plainly unable to fulfil the job requirements. Twenty20 cricket is unconventional and therefore requires an unconventional approach. Surely upgrading the big-hitting Bresnan or Plunkett to partner Lyth is just what the doctor ordered. Lees needs to be shoved further down the order, or else elbowed out of the team. However, reinforcements are thin on the ground at present, which is why those who are underachieving are granted licence to keep on failing.

Kane Williamson is merely 33rd in the national Twenty20 averages and then Liam Plunkett comes in at a lowly 79th. This is very revealing of the Vikings' inadequacies in this competiition.

With three fixtures remaining, there simply is no margin for error in terms of qualification to the last eight.

Twenty20 Blast: Nottinghamshire Outlaws versus YORKSHIRE VIKINGS; in Nottingham; Friday the fifteenth of July 2016. YORKSHIRE VIKINGS won the toss.

YORKSHIRE VIKINGS: 160 for seven (off twenty overs)

Lyth c Tahir b Patel 39 (55-2)

Lees b Gurney 1 (12-1)

Williamson c Tahir b Mullaney 39 (138-4)

Head c Wessels b Gurney 40 (122-3)

Bresnan b Gurney 17 (155-6)

Plunkett st Read b Tahir 6 (146-5)

Rhodes run out (Smith) 8 (160-7)

Rashid not out 2

Extras: eight

Gurney 4 for 16

Nottinghamshire Outlaws: 162 for seven (off 19.4 overs)

Lumb b Rafiq 8 (10-1)

Wessels c Bresnan b Patterson 2 (25-2)

Smith c Rashid b Rhodes 32 (98-4)

Christian c Lyth b Patterson 12 (47-3)

Patel c Lees b Plunkett 58 (158-7)

Taylor lbw b Rashid 1 (100-5)

Mullaney run out (Patterson) 1 (102-6)

Read not out 35

Fletcher not out 0

Extras: thirteen

Nottinghamshire Outlaws win by three wickets. Nottinghamshire Outlaws two points, YORKSHIRE VIKINGS nul points.

BATTING CHARTS (minimum of one hundred runs):

Kane Williamson: 209 runs; average - 34.83

Jack Leaning: 117 runs; average - 23.4

Adam Lyth: 138 runs; average - 19.71

Tim Bresnan: 117 runs; average - 19.5

Alex Lees: 136 runs; average - 17.12

BEST BOWLERS (minimum of ten wickets):

Tim Bresnan: fourteen wickets; average - 17.79