Yorkshire haul in 206 target through late Malan-Thompson blitz

Yorkshire 208 for 4 (Malan 93*, Thompson 40*, Brookes 4-41) beat Worcestershire 205 for 6 (Brookes 44, D’Oliveira 42, Chohan 4-30) by six wickets

Yorkshire achieved the second highest successful run chase in their history in Vitality Blast cricket to keep alive their qualification hopes thanks to a brilliant innings from opener Dawid Malan against Worcestershire Rapids at New Road.

The Vikings chased down a 206 target to win by six wickets in a perfectly-paced innings to secure a sixth victory of the campaign with three balls to spare.

Malan was the hero with an unbeaten 93 off 50 balls with five sixes and seven fours and now Yorkshire will look to defeat Notts Outlaws in their final game at Headingley and hope results go in their favour.

The Vikings never panicked despite being well behind the required run rate at 74 for 1 at the halfway stage and requiring another 132 from the final 10 overs.

After Adam Lyth’s slow start, James Wharton and Jordan Thompson provided important cameos in support of Malan. Only once have Yorkshire chased a bigger total to win when they reached a 208 target against Durham at Headingley two years ago.

Worcestershire topped 200 for the first time this season thanks to aggressive batting all down the order from Brett D’Oliveira, Josh Cobb, Ethan Brookes and Rob Jones. It was the fourth successive match that they had achieved their highest score of the campaign after making 181 for 4, 184 for 8 and 187 for 8 against Lancashire Lightning, Leicestershire Foxes and Birmingham Bears respectively.

The Rapids total would have been even higher but for another splendid performance from Vikings leg spinner Jafer Chohan. He followed his 5 for 14 on his previous outing against Durham with 4 for 29 in another top-class display from the South Asian Cricket Academy product.

Worcestershire suffered a double pre-match setback with Kashif Ali (side strain) and T20 vice-captain Adam Hose (groin) ruled out but D’Oliveira returned after a shoulder injury. Yorkshire kept faith with the side which defeated Durham before Friday’s derby with Lancashire was washed out. Vikings captain Shan Masood won the toss and put the Rapids into bat on a fresh pitch.

Ben Cliff took the new ball and struck in his second over when Ed Pollock (10) holed out to Adam Lyth at mid-on. But a succession of boundaries from D’Oliveira and Cobb meant the Rapids 50 came up in 4.2 overs. Cobb tucked into Cliff with 4-4-6 off successive deliveries as the Rapids ended the powerplay on 67 for 1.

D’Oliveira carved Thompson over backward point to complete a 23-ball half-century stand. Three times in the opening seven overs the Vikings conceded 18 runs. The introduction of Chohan ended the partnership on 64 with D’Oliveira (42) easily stumped after coming down the pitch to the spinner.

Gareth Roderick then tried to reverse-sweep Chohan and was bowled but the Rapids were well placed at 106-3 at the half-way stage. Cobb became Chohan’s third victim after he switched ends when picking out long off. There was more success for Chohan when Brookes, having hit 44 off 21 balls, perished at cover.

Jones sustained the momentum for Worcestershire by making an unbeaten 35 from 25 balls. When Yorkshire batted, Lyth and Malan played themselves in against some accurate bowling from Tom Taylor and Cobb before gradually accelerating to reach 41 for 0 at the end of the powerplay. The rate climbed above 12 runs an over and Lyth was pouched out cover off Brookes with 66 on the board in the 10th over.

Malan struck Matthew Waite for six over midwicket to complete a 32-ball half-century. Brookes came back to end a cameo 24 off 12 balls from Wharton as he picked out long-off and in the same over Donovan Ferreira went after D’Oliveira backpedalled from cover.

Malan struck 20 off a Cobb over to reduce the target to 64 from the final five overs. But Brookes had more joy when Masood found the hands of long-off. It was the Rapids’ last success as Thompson delivered a series of massive blows to see his side over the finishing line with three balls to spare.

He ended unbeaten on 40 from just 14 balls with four sixes, and the unbroken fifth-wicket partnership was worth 49 in three overs.