Yorkshire consign Lancashire to heaviest ever T20 runs defeat

Captain Jonny Bairstow’s superb 73 and then a devastating powerplay with the ball helped high-flying Yorkshire consign Lancashire Lightning to a record 106-run Vitality Blast defeat at Headingley.

Yorkshire strengthened their position at the top of the North Group with a fourth win in five, this having posted 213 for seven thanks largely to opener Bairstow’s four sixes in 44 balls. He shared a second-wicket 105 with Will Luxton.

Pakistani overseas pair Hassan Ali and Faheem Ashraf, alongside Moeen Ali, then struck inside the first four overs of a Lightning chase which slumped to 27 for three and finished with them bowled out for 107 inside 15 overs. This was their heaviest ever runs defeat in T20.

Moeen’s off-spin returned a superb three for 16 from his four overs, while Jafer Chohan was excellent with his leg-spin for four for 17. Liam Livingstone top-scored with a consolatory 44 off 30 for Lancashire. They have now lost three from four.

A topsy-turvy powerplay - 57 for one - saw Yorkshire start brightly, get pegged back before accelerating.

After Adam Lyth was caught at deep midwicket off Tom Aspinwall (three for 32), Luke Wood bowled a maiden to Bairstow before Luxton pulled two sixes off expensive Saqib Mahmood in the next over - the sixth.

Exhilarating Bairstow and Luxton then piled the pressure on.

Their century stand was broken in the 13th over Livingstone’s spin had Bairstow, who had reached his fifty off 32 balls, caught at deep square-leg.

And it proved crucial because, in the next, Tom Hartley’s left-arm spin had Luxton caught at deep midwicket and bowled Moeen Ali for nought. Yorkshire had fallen from 135 for one to 137 for four.

James Wharton’s unbeaten 35 off 16 balls got Yorkshire going again. But their total could easily have been much higher. Aspinwall struck twice more in two balls late on.

Mahmood, with one for 60 from four overs, recorded Lancashire’s most expensive T20 bowling spell ever.

And his side’s chances of victory were all but sunk inside 19 balls of their chase as they slipped to 27 for three.

Hassan uprooted Keaton Jennings’ off-stump with a beauty in the first over before his fellow Pakistani seamer Faheem bowled Matty Hurst. Moeen’s off-spin then bowled Marcus Harris.

Chohan later had Ben McDermott impressively caught by a diving Matthew Revis having run in from long-on before Moeen trapped Joe Moores lbw reverse sweeping.

At 65 for five in the 10th over, it really was game over. And not even Livingstone could save them.

Chohan struck again before Livingstone miscued AJ Tye’s seam to long-on, leaving the score at 97 for seven in the 13th over.

Moeen got another before Chohan finished it off by bowling Aspinwall and Mahmood with successive deliveries in the 15th.