Yorkshire drub Bears to throw North Group qualification race wide open

Yorkshire opened the Vitality Blast North Group table right up with a ten-wicket win over Birmingham Bears at Edgbaston.

Yorkshire put a brake on Bears' strong start to the campaign as they gained fulsome revenge for their ten-wicket Blast defeat at Edgbaston in 2021.

Bears chose to bat but were bowled out for 101 with 19 balls unused. A superb collective Vikings bowling display was led by skipper David Willey (3 for 17) with excellent support from Dominic Drakes, Mathew Revis (both 2 for 18) and Adil Rashid (2 for 22).

The visitors then galloped to 106 without loss in 12.5 overs as Adam Lyth struck 58 not out off 45 balls and Dawid Malan 38 not out off 33. The final throes were conducted in front of a large but subdued home crowd wishing they had more cricket to watch on a gorgeous summer evening.

Yorkshire seized control from the start as four different bowlers delivered the first four overs and each took a wicket.

Willey bowled Paul Stirling to leave the Irishman nursing a third successive duck; Drakes, son of former Warwickshire seamer Vasbert, forced Alex Davies to play on; Revis had Sam Hain caught behind, attempting to scoop, and Dominic Leech ousted Jacob Bethell, caught at extra cover, as the Bears lurched to 28 for 4 from 28 balls.

Adam Hose and Chris Benjamin have provided a productive engine-room for the Bears this year but this time their counter attacks were cut off early. Hose was trapped lbw by Rashid and Benjamin lifted Willey to deep midwicket.

Yorkshire's bowlers maintained the pressure immaculately to keep the Bears innings in chains. Revis returned to have Carlos Brathwaite caught in the ring, Rashid's sharp return catch did for Craig Miles and Drakes' first ball back took Olly Stone's outside edge.

Last-wicket pair Jake Lintott and Danny Briggs found themselves with 29 balls at their disposal but survived only nine before Willey bowled Lintott.

Bears needed quick wickets to have any chance of retrieving the game but none arrived. Under no pressure, Lyth and Malan worked the ball around without needing to take great risks to reach 50 in 37 balls, posted with six over third man by Lyth off Stone.

Another six, pulled off Brathwaite, took Lyth to his half-century from 40 balls and Yorkshire cruised home to reboot their qualification bid in the most spectacular fashion.