Yorkshire smash T&T to reach main draw
by Neil Manthorp 10 October 2012, 20:32
A stunning, unbeaten partnership of 103 from just 62 balls between leg-spinning all rounder Adil Rashid and Zimbabwe-born left hander Gary Ballance carried Yorkshire to a six wicket victory against Trinidad and Tobago with six balls to spare in their qualifying match at Supersport Park in Centurion on Wednesday and ensured the English county a place in the main draw of the Champions League T20.
Full Scorecard: Trinidad & Tobago v Yorkshire
Chasing T&T’s total of 148-9, Yorkshire slumped to 51-4 before 22-year-old Ballance was joined at the crease by the aggressive Rashid and the total was chased down without the further loss of a wicket with Ballance assuming control in superb style.
The result means that both T&T and Sri Lanka’s Uva Next are both eliminated and renders their fixture against each other in the final group match a ‘dead rubber’.
Rashid, who provided the early impetus in the partnership, finished on 33 from 27 deliveries with three fours and a six but Ballance accelerated in remarkable style to finish with an unbeaten 64 from only 37 balls with two fours and six mighty sixes, most in his favoured midwicket region.
Yorkshire appeared to take early control of the game with three wickets inside the first three overs which reduced the men from the Caribbean to 8-3 after they had chosen to bat first.
But a brilliant fourth wicket partnership of 93 between the cautious Darren Bravo, whose 45 came from 49 balls, and captain Denesh Ramdin rebuilt the innings to great effect. Ramdin blasted an innovative 59 from just 40 deliveries with six fours and a six.
Kevon Cooper’s 15 from just nine balls in the closing overs pushed the total from ‘respectable’ to ‘competitive.’
None of Yorkshire’s six bowlers were bruised too badly during a disciplined performance but veteran left arm seamer Ryan Sidebottom was outstanding bowling two overs during the opening power-play and two at the death for a fine analysis of 4-0-13-3.
Yorkshire now join New Zealand’s Auckland Aces in the main draw.
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TRINIDAD & TOBAGO: LMP Simmons, WKD Perkins, AB Barath, DM Bravo, D Ramdin (capt & wk), JN Mohammed, K Cooper, R Rampaul, KYG Ottley, RR Emrit, S Badree
YORKSHIRE: MA Ashraf, Azeem Rafiq, GS Ballance, AW Gale (capt), DM Hodgson (wk), PA Jaques, A Lyth, SA Patterson, AU Rashid, JE Root, RJ Sidebottom
