Bright Start Ends In Defeat to Vikings

By Jon Culley, ECB Reporters' Network

Beaten in their opening three North Group fixtures, Yorkshire Vikings extended the turn-around in their Vitality Blast campaign to four wins from four, defeating Leicestershire Foxes by 30 runs after the home side were bowled out for 126 at a chilly Uptonsteel County Ground.

Having opted to bat first, the Vikings recovered from a perilous 78 for seven on a green-tinged pitch to post 156 from their 20 overs, all-rounder David Wiese finishing on 50 not out from 32 balls and former Leicestershire all-rounder Ben Mike 30 from 17 after the pair set a Vikings record by adding 78 for the eighth wicket.

Jordan Thompson was the most effective bowler for the Vikings, taking a career-best five for 21, with 20-year-old leg-spinner Jafer Chohan impressing with one for 16 from four overs.

Another South African all-rounder, Wiaan Mulder - playing solely as a batter after missing the last two games with a hamstring injury - top-scored for the Foxes with 46 but although Rishi Patel (36 from 25 balls) proved effective in the powerplay, the home side could not build a sustainable partnership, dismissed with three balls left of the 20th over.

England’s young leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed took three for 21 and left-arm seamer Josh Hull took two for 30 - both just 18 years old - as the best of the Foxes bowlers, but strike bowlers Mikey Finan and Naveen-ul-Haq took some punishment as the home attack leaked 69 runs in the last five overs.

Dawid Malan’s hot streak ended in the second over as a leading edge to a ball from left-arm spinner Callum Parkinson saw him caught at short third man for two following his run of 95 not out, 83 and 81 not out in three innings.  James Wharton cashed in on a couple of balls wide of off stump by Hull but there was another success for the Foxes as Naveen beat Adam Lyth’s swinging bat and the Vikings were 42 for two from their batting powerplay.

Wharton and Shan Masood added 36 in 29 balls but three more wickets before the halfway point had the visitors on the back foot at 65 for five.

Ahmed, among the contenders for an England Ashes spot following the injury to Jack Leach, did his prospects no harm by bowling Wharton (26 from 19 balls) with one that skidded through before holding an easy return catch next ball as Jonathan Tattersall chipped one back.

The Vikings were in more trouble as Masood under-edged a catch behind off the tall Hull before Ahmed claimed his third scalp via a catch in the deep on the leg side well taken by Finan.

Yorkshire had no momentum at all at this point and were six overs without a boundary at 75 for six when Ahmed finished his spell in the 13th over, suffering a further setback in the next over as Revis nicked one off Hull.

But a loose over from Finan gave Wiese a helping hand as he lofted a free hit over long off for the first six of the Vikings innings and hammered a full toss for four, setting off a strong finish for Yorkshire side and a poor one for Leicestershire, who up to that point had given little away.

Wiese and Mike hit eight fours and three sixes from 38 balls after the fall of the seventh wicket, Mike clearing the rope off former team-mates Naveen and Finan to give his old county a tougher chase than they had anticipated.

On a roll, Wiese began the home side’s batting powerplay with a maiden and when Nick Welch was grabbed behind the stumps at the second attempt off spinner Dom Bess, the Foxes were one for one. They recovered to put 44 on the board in the opening six but also lost Lewis Hill, who skewed Thompson to third man.

At the halfway point, the outcome looked in the balance after a couple of tight overs from Chohan, with 93 needed from 60 balls at 64 for two. When Patel - hit on the helmet by Revis on 31 - was leg before to Thompson for 36 from 24 balls, and Louis Kimber was bowled by Chohan sweeping, the Vikings looked favourites, an assessment quickly confirmed as Ahmed thumped a short delivery from Revis in the air to Wharton at mid-off.

Mike held a steepling return catch to remove Arron Lilley, after which a flurry of boundaries by Mulder raised hopes that the Foxes could still make a game of it until Thompson dismissed him and Naveen with consecutive deliveries, both via catches in the deep. Parkinson departed in similar fashion off Mike and Thompson kept steady under another soaring return catch put up by Finan to complete his maiden five-for.