MATCH PREVIEW: Yorkshire Vikings v Lancashire Lightning
The first Roses fixture of 2023 is set up beautifully.
Yorkshire Vikings v Lancashire Lightning
Vitality Blast, North Group
Thursday June 1, 2023, 7pm
Headingley
Lancashire have made a winning start to the Vitality Blast to be amongst the early pacesetters with three wins and a loss from four games, while Yorkshire have only just arrested a horrible losing run across all formats with victory over Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge last night.
The two arch-rivals played three games in last season’s Blast, with Lancashire having the better of the meetings.
One of them yielded a semi-final victory at Finals Day. It would be fantastic if that could be repeated come mid-July. But first things first, both teams will be aiming to claim early bragging rights and important points on the board towards the end goal.
Jos Buttler makes his eagerly-anticipated return to county cricket for the Lightning, and he will do so in front of what Yorkshire expect to be a sell-out crowd at Headingley.
They only have a handful of tickets remaining for this televised fixture, which is always up there amongst the best nights of the summer.
Opposition:
Yorkshire have had a nightmare summer so far, only winning one match across both the Blast and County Championship cricket.
That came last night against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge, by eight runs defending a 183 target. Not only was it their first win of the summer, it was also their first win in any competition since August 21 last year.
Ottis Gibson and Shan Masood have a huge job on their hands across the Pennines, but they are hoping victory here will send confidence sky-rocketing.
Pakistani batter Masood is in his first season as captain having signed an overseas contract to move from Derbyshire last year. He has overseen three Blast defeats against Birmingham, Worcestershire and Durham. But they were slick in beating the Outlaws last night.
They have missed England stars Harry Brook and Joe Root this season, but Dawid Malan has been an ever-present and Jonny Bairstow played three games across the two formats. Malan’s unbeaten 95 was the standout performance at Trent Bridge.
Well beaten by Birmingham and Durham, they lost to Worcestershire at New Road when defending a target of 176. That included Matthew Fisher failing to defend 19 off the last, with the Rapids eight wickets down.
Number nine Adam Finch hit three sixes in the first five balls of the over.
Alongside Masood, veteran Namibia all-rounder David Wiese is Yorkshire’s specialist Blast overseas player.
Opposing player to watch:
England white ball star Dawid Malan, a member of the T20 World Cup triumph in Australia in November, is key to Yorkshire’s hopes of success.
He has been opening the batting alongside Adam Lyth in the Blast, and was excellent against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge with four leg-side sixes in 95 not out.
This will be Malan’s 300th career T20 appearance, with him having played all around the world in various franchise competitions, including 58 times for England.
He has scored five T20 hundreds - one for England - and was ranked a couple of years ago as the world’s number one T20 batter by the ICC.
Not short of power by any means, but he hasn’t got the dynamism of many a T20 batting star. He is more classy than clobber.
Previous meeting:
These two rivals played three times in the Blast last year, the Lightning coming out on the right side of things with two wins and a tie.
We tied at Emirates Old Trafford, won at Headingley off the last ball and then won the semi-final at Edgbaston last July by six wickets chasing a target of 205.
Tom Kohler-Cadmore hit 66 and Jordan Thompson a quick-fire 50 as Yorkshire posted 204-7 to give themselves a great chance of reaching only a second Blast final. Danny Lamb and Luke Wells claimed two wickets apiece.
But, in excellent batting conditions on a gorgeous summer’s day, it proved nowhere near enough.
Keaton Jennings top-scored with a superb 75 off 51 balls at the top of the order, sharing 44 in 2.5 overs for the first wicket with Phil Salt, who was at his scintillating best for 36 off 15 balls.
Yorkshire were off colour with the ball, and they were punished.
Jennings and captain Dane Vilas - 63 not out off 36 - shared 112 for the third wicket inside 12 overs from 69-2 in the fifth as the game was won by six wickets with eight balls remaining.
Unfortunately, having qualified for the final, the Lightning were pipped to the post by Hampshire.
What they said:
Jos Buttler will pull on the Red Rose for the first time this season and admits: “It’s great to be back.
“I’ve always enjoyed my time with Lancashire. I’ve been here a long time now, but appearances have been a bit few and far between over the last few years.
“So I’m looking forward to a nice block of games now.”
It is anticipated that Buttler, England’s white ball captain and cricketing royalty, will be available to the Lightning for the remaining 10 Blast North Group fixtures.
And the Roses clash could hardly be a better way to start.
“The Roses games are always the most sought after games,” he said.
“You always look for those on the calendar when the fixtures come out. It will be a great crowd and a great game.
“It’s a great fixture. More so than a lot of domestic games, it has that history. That’s not just in T20 cricket, it’s in the Championship as well. There’s been a lot of history between the two clubs.
“It’s a nice game to be a part of with the history and tradition and the rivalry, and it’s unique with the atmospheres that are created at Emirates Old Trafford and Headingley.”
How’s Stat:
Yorkshire have only won four Blast matches against Lancashire in the last nine seasons prior to this one. Their last win was at Headingley in July 2021.
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