Derbyshire Falcons suffer second Vitality Blast defeat as Yorkshire win streak continues

All had seemed lost when the home side were 139 for eight, still needing 56 with 27 balls left but Hassan Ali, 31 not out off 13 balls, and Andrew Tye, 32 off 13, sealed the win with four balls to spare.

A second defeat of the season was hard on Derbyshire, for whom Martin Andersson and Jack Morley took four for 44 and two catches, but Moeen Ali’s 51 kept his side in the game before Tye and Hassan sealed the win with a fusillade of sixes.

Having opted to bat, Derbyshire scored 57 runs in their powerplay. The visitors’ progress was halted when Caleb Jewell holed out to Matthew Revis at deep backward square leg off Tye for 20, and then five balls later, when Wayne Madsen was caught by Hassan Ali off Revis for two.

That left the visitors on 63 for three but Derbyshire continued to score at a brisk rate without dismantling Yorkshire’s attack. The hundred came up in the 12th over and Andersson reached a 36-ball fifty in the 14th.

With five overs to go, the score was 131 for three but the 73-run stand partnership was broken four balls later when Montgomery was bowled by Jafer Chohan for 35.

Ross Whiteley’s arrival brought an increase in the scoring rate but Derbyshire’s total was still only 170 for four after 19 overs before Whiteley hit Tye for two sixes in a last over that yielded 24 runs. Four Yorkshire bowlers finished with one wicket apiece, the most economical being Chohan, who took for one for 32.

Yorkshire’s pursuit of 195 for victory began in explosive fashion. Adam Lyth hit three sixes and two fours in an 11-ball 31 before being caught at midwicket by Montgomery off Akif Javed in the third over and two balls later, Jonny Bairstow was leg before to Morley for eight. Things got worse for the home side two balls before the end of the powerplay when James Wharton holed out to Morley off Nick Potts for five.

Moeen hit Morley for two sixes in an over but those blows sandwiched the dismissal of Will Luxton, who was bowled by the slow left-armer for five. Yorkshire reached the halfway stage of their innings still needing 110 to win but Morley soon struck further blows, having Revis caught at backward point by Jewell for 13 and then taking a fine catch on the boundary at point off Montgomery to remove George Hill for a duck.

Moeen then hit Potts for over the rope to reach his fifty off 33 balls but he was caught on the deep point boundary by Amrit Basra attempting a third.

Yorkshire were 133 for seven, needing 62 off the last five overs but Morley then took his fourth wicket when he removed Dom Bess. Big hitting by Tye left the home side needing 32 off three overs, a task they accomplished in spectacular fashion.