Yorkshire 208 for 4 (Malan 93, Thompson 40, Brookes 4-41) triumphed over Worcestershire 205 for 6 (Brookes 44, D'Oliveira 42, Chohan 4-30) by six wickets.
Yorkshire secured their place in Vitality Blast history by achieving the second-highest successful run chase, thanks to Dawid Malan’s stellar performance against Worcestershire Rapids at New Road. This crucial victory by six wickets keeps Yorkshire’s qualification hopes alive.
Chasing a target of 206, the Vikings displayed a perfectly paced innings, achieving their sixth win of the campaign with three balls to spare. Malan was the standout performer, remaining unbeaten with a brilliant 93 off 50 balls, including five sixes and seven fours. Yorkshire now sets their sights on defeating Notts Outlaws in their final game at Headingley, hoping for favourable results elsewhere.
Despite a slow start, Yorkshire did not panic. At the halfway mark, they were 74 for 1, needing 132 more runs from the last 10 overs. Adam Lyth’s slow beginning was compensated by vital cameos from James Wharton and Jordan Thompson in support of Malan. The only higher successful chase for Yorkshire was two years ago, when they pursued 208 against Durham at Headingley.
Worcestershire, batting first, posted their first 200-plus score of the season, with aggressive contributions from Brett D'Oliveira, Josh Cobb, Ethan Brookes, and Rob Jones. This match marked their fourth consecutive highest score of the season after previous high scores against Lancashire Lightning, Leicestershire Foxes, and Birmingham Bears.
The Rapids’ total could have been even higher if not for an outstanding performance by Vikings leg-spinner Jafer Chohan. Following his 5 for 14 against Durham, Chohan delivered another excellent display with 4 for 29.
Worcestershire faced setbacks before the match with Kashif Ali (side strain) and T20 vice-captain Adam Hose (groin) ruled out, though D'Oliveira returned after a shoulder injury. Yorkshire fielded the same side that defeated Durham, as their previous match against Lancashire was washed out. Vikings captain Shan Masood won the toss and chose to field on a fresh pitch.
Ben Cliff struck early for Yorkshire, dismissing Ed Pollock for 10, caught by Adam Lyth at mid-on. However, D'Oliveira and Cobb quickly accelerated, bringing up the Rapids’ 50 in just 4.2 overs. Cobb’s aggressive play continued, hitting 4-4-6 off successive deliveries from Cliff, ending the power play at 67 for 1. D'Oliveira’s reverse pull off Thompson brought up a 23-ball half-century stand.
The introduction of Chohan proved pivotal, as he ended a 64-run partnership by stumping D'Oliveira for 42. Gareth Roderick’s reverse-sweep attempt off Chohan resulted in him being bowled, leaving the Rapids at 106-3 at the halfway stage. Cobb was Chohan’s third victim, caught at long-off after changing ends, and Brookes was dismissed at cover after scoring 44 off 21 balls.
Rob Jones maintained Worcestershire's momentum with an unbeaten 35 from 25 balls. Yorkshire’s response saw Lyth and Malan playing cautiously against accurate bowling from Tom Taylor and Cobb, reaching 41 for 0 by the end of the power play. The required run rate rose above 12 runs per over, and Lyth was caught at cover off Brookes with the score at 66 in the 10th over. Malan reached his half-century off 32 balls, hitting Matthew Waite for six over midwicket.
Brookes dismissed Wharton for 24 off 12 balls and Donovan Ferreira after D'Oliveira’s backpedal catch at cover. Malan then scored 20 runs off a Cobb over, reducing the target to 64 from the last five overs. Brookes’ final success came when Masood was caught at long-off. Thompson then hit a series of powerful shots, finishing unbeaten on 40 from just 14 balls with four sixes. His unbroken fifth-wicket partnership with Malan was worth 49 runs in three overs, leading Yorkshire to victory with three balls remaining.