Yorkshire's show of power insufficient for first victory

'BRUISE BROTHERS giving it some tap' '“ Jack Brooks.
Tim Bresnan put on 61 for the seventh wicket with Liam Plunkett (Picture: Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com).Tim Bresnan put on 61 for the seventh wicket with Liam Plunkett (Picture: Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com).
Tim Bresnan put on 61 for the seventh wicket with Liam Plunkett (Picture: Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com).

“Proper tonking” – Ryan Sidebottom.

“Match winning partnership at the end from the two old boys” – Andrew Gale.

The tweets from the Yorkshire players watching the action back home on television said it all.

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In the last 17 balls of the Yorkshire innings, the seventh-wicket pair of Tim Bresnan and Liam Plunkett scored 61 runs to take the visitors to a final score of 173-6.

It had the feel of a game-changing partnership.

It had the look, as Gale said, of a match-winning one.

Unfortunately for Yorkshire, the ease with which Bresnan and Plunkett brutalised the bowling confirmed that there were runs to be had at New Road last night.

Although the momentum was firmly against them at the halfway stage, Worcestershire did not allow Bresnan and Plunkett’s onslaught to faze them as they set about overhauling Yorkshire’s total by seven wickets with five balls to spare.

Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Daryl Mitchell added 44 for the first wicket inside five overs, and after Plunkett bowled Kohler-Cadmore in the seventh over, a third-wicket stand of 51 from 31 balls between Joe Clarke and Alex Kervezee kept Yorkshire sufficiently at arm’s length.

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Kervezee and Brett D’Oliveira finished the job with an unbroken fourth-wicket partnership of 66 from 44 deliveries, Kervezee striking 52 from 37 balls with six fours and D’Oliveira making 32 from 20 deliveries with four fours.

Worcestershire won quite easily in the end, much to the delight of a partisan crowd of around 4,000 who watched on a sunlit evening in the shadow of the cathedral.

Yorkshire, in the final analysis, did not score enough runs, they did not bowl well enough, and they did not field well enough either.

There is no sign, at this stage, of their T20 form improving, a format in which they have consistently underperformed.

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This was a meeting between top and bottom in the fledgling North Group after Worcestershire won both their opening games, with Yorkshire losing their opening match against Leicestershire last Friday.

Yorkshire’s chances were boosted by the return of David Willey after a stomach injury, but the England man managed only six runs after replacing Adam Lyth at the top of the order.

Willey chopped on to Ed Barnard in the fifth over and Adil Rashid fell in the sixth, run out trying a second run to deep square-leg to leave Yorkshire 36-2 after winning the toss.

The visitors managed only 37 runs in the powerplay, including three fours, statistics which Bresnan and Plunkett put into perspective.

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Alex Lees, the captain, played a decent hand to hit 46 from 36 balls, his innings ended when he was bowled by Daryl Mitchell.

Jack Leaning chipped in with 24 before top-edging an attempted pull to the wicketkeeper off Joe Leach, who then induced Will Rhodes to drag on and bowled Gary Ballance for 24.

Leach, the 25-year-old pace bowler, started his career with Leeds-Bradford MCCU and studied French and philosophy at Leeds University.

He took Worcestershire’s best figures of 3-33 from four overs, getting out just as the Bresnan-Plunkett onslaught really got going.

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The key impetus came in the 19th over, from which Barnard conceded 30 runs.

Plunkett smashed him for three sixes and two fours, finishing with 34 from 10 balls, Bresnan contributing 29 from 13 deliveries.

Even Ben Stokes tweeted his approval of the pair – “great striking”, enthused the England all-rounder.

Yorkshire smashed 72 from the last four overs, but it papered over the cracks of an inadequate display.

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Plunkett capped a fine individual performance with Yorkshire’s best figures of 2-29.

Adil Rashid has signed a new three-year contract that will keep him at Yorkshire until at least the end of 2019.

The 28-year-old leg-spinner, who has played for the club since 2006, made his Test debut last autumn and is a regular for England in one-day cricket.

“I’m delighted to sign a contract extension,” said Rashid.

“The last year has been great for me after winning the Championship, playing for England across all three formats and experiencing the Big Bash at Adelaide Strikers. I love representing my home county and I hope to win more silverware with Yorkshire in the years to come.”

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Yorkshire welcome back Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow for tonight’s T20 game against Lancashire at Old Trafford (6.30pm start).

Yorkshire (from): Bairstow, Ballance, Bresnan, Carver, Coad, Hodd, Leaning, Lees (captain), Lyth, Patterson, Plunkett, Rashid, Rhodes, Root, Wainman, Willey.