David Willey stars against former side as Yorkshire finally find their best

Former Northants star Willey struck four times in his first three overs, at a cost of only 11 runs, leaving the Steelbacks 43 for five after six. And that was game over, with them later slipping to 107 all out in 18 overs

Headingley: Yorkshire 187-7 v Northamptonshire 107 - Yorkshire win by 80 runs

Scorecard

Yorkshire lifted themselves off bottom spot in the North Group with a landslide 80-run victory over Northamptonshire in a Vitality Blast dead rubber at Emerald Headingley, with ex-Steelback David Willey starring with four new ball wickets.

Both sides went into their penultimate fixture of 2019 with no chance of qualifying for next week’s quarter-finals.

The Vikings were bottom of the table with two wins from 12 games and the Steelbacks two places higher with three wins from the same number of fixtures.

But Yorkshire amassed 187 for seven thanks to fifties for openers Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Adam Lyth, who made 51 and 50 respectively, and then a breezy 38 off 16 balls from Harry Brook, who later took four catches - a joint Yorkshire record in a T20 fixture.

In reply, former Northants Blast winner Willey struck four times in his first three overs, at a cost of only 11 runs, leaving the Steelbacks 43 for five after six. And that was game over, with them later slipping to 107 all out in 18 overs. Willey finished with four for 18.

Having won the toss, Yorkshire’s innings could be split into three parts. 

They flew out of the blocks as captain Kohler-Cadmore and Lyth shared 88 of 91 for one in the first 10 overs. They then both fell the ball after reaching their fifties.

Northants dragged things back as the hosts reached the 15-over mark at 122 for three. 

Experienced left-arm spinner Graeme White (two for 18 from four) was excellent in removing Lyth and former team-mate Willey, who both offered leg-side catches.

Then, the Vikings regained their momentum as Brook, back in the side having made way following a run of low scores, found his range to help pick up 65 off the last five overs.

He mixed power with invention, pulling South African Dwaine Pretorius for six and ramping him for four next ball in the 16th over. He also smashed Rob Keogh’s off-spin for a huge straight six into the upper reaches of the new Emerald Stand.

Northants captain Josh Cobb used eight bowlers, with Keogh and Pakistani seamer Faheem Ashraf also claiming two wickets apiece.

The visitors then got off to a flying start in their chase, with Richard Levi hitting the first three balls of the innings from Lyth for four before planting the fifth ball over mid-wicket for six into the Western Terrace, the same stand Ben Stokes peppered in Sunday’s Ashes heist.

But he slapped Willey straight to mid-wicket with the first ball of the second over.

Tim Bresnan bowled Adam Rossington with the first ball of the third and Willey struck again with the first ball of the fourth when he had Cobb caught at deep backward square-leg before getting Pretorius brilliantly caught by Will Fraine running back from point later in the over.

Alex Wakely then holed out to deep square-leg off Willey, ending a miserable power play at 43 for five, before Bresnan struck again in the sixth to get Ashraf caught at mid-on with only two runs added to the total.

South African left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj bowled Keogh early in the eleventh over as the score slipped to 68 for seven before off-spinner Jack Shutt had White and Nathan Buck caught at long-off by Brook (82 for nine in the 14th).

Tom Sole played a lone hand for 41 not out before Lyth had Blessing Muzarabani caught behind to wrap things up.

Courtesy of the ECB Reporters Network.