David Willey haunts Yorkshire to lead Northants to victory

Captain David Willey haunted his former side as Northamptonshire's captain starred with bat and then ball in a remarkable opening night Vitality Blast win for the Steelbacks, by 13 runs, against Yorkshire at Headingley.

Willey led Yorkshire's T20 side before returning home in 2022. Here, he smashed six sixes in 54 off 24 balls in a mammoth 237 for 4 total - his county's highest ever in this format.

Justin Broad top-scored with a career best 67 off 32 balls, the pair sharing a third-wicket stand of 85 inside six overs during the second half of the innings.

Last year's quarter-finalists then reduced Yorkshire's chase to nine for three inside five balls, Willey striking twice with his left-arm pace en-route to 3 for 42. But runs kept coming as Yorkshire recovered to finish with 224 for 9.

James Wharton and Australian overseas all-rounder Will Sutherland hit 58 apiece, the latter hitting four of his six sixes in one over. He faced 30 balls.

Ricardo Vasconcelos shared an opening 73 inside six overs with South African Matthew Breetzke after the Steelbacks had been inserted.

The latter contributed 36 with three sixes - one of which was pulled out of the ground over backward square-leg against under-fire New Zealand quick Will O'Rourke.

Off-spinner Dom Bess bowled Breetzke in his first over, but the Steelbacks maintained the momentum through more measured Vasconcelos and Broad, who took the score to 105 for 1 after 10 overs on a batting paradise of a pitch.

Bess struck again to bowl Vasconcelos for 48 - 116 for 2 in the 12th - but that brought Willey in. He reached his fifty off 20 balls after Broad's had come up in 23. The former was brutal in favouring the leg-side.

Broad, particularly strong against spin in his 20th career appearance, hit five of 17 sixes in an innings which saw debutant O'Rourke return figures of nought for 67 from four overs. Yorkshire's hopes of reeling in what would have been their highest successful run chase in Blast history were then hurt badly inside five balls.

New captain Dawid Malan hoisted Willey out to deep midwicket before Will Luxton edged the next ball to slip. A wide ball followed before Adam Lyth was run out at the striker's end coming back for three to deep midwicket, leaving Yorkshire nine for three.

Northamptonshire had taken three wickets in three legal deliveries. But fourth-wicket pair Harry Duke, batting for the first time in his sixth T20 appearance, and Wharton then threatened a revival with a scintillating 81-run partnership inside six overs.

Duke hit four sixes in an 18-ball 37 before being bowled sweeping at Australian leg-spinner Lloyd Pope's third ball. Wharton continued on and reached 50 off 27 balls before playing on pulling at Willey, leaving Yorkshire 141 for 5 in the 12th over.

Sutherland then clattered compatriot Liam Guthrie - nought for 68 from three overs - for four sixes in the 13th to reach 50 off 26 balls before falling caught at long-off against Pope in the next - 174 for six.

Yorkshire continued to hang tough, taking the target to 30 off the last two overs and 22 off the last. But George Scrimshaw got his side over the line. Just.