Aitchison inspires Derbyshire to thrashing of Yorkshire

SEAMER Ben Aitchison’s maiden T20 five-wicket haul set Derbyshire on their way to hammering Yorkshire for the second Sunday running, ending the hosts’ already slim Vitality Blast quarter-final hopes in the process yesterday.

Excellent Aitchison was potent en-route to a superb five for 29 at Headingley and Afghanistani overseas off-spinner Mohammad Ghazanfar miserly in returning two for five from four overs as Yorkshire were limited to 151 for nine.

The Falcons won at Chesterfield last Sunday, and here they deepened their local rivals’ misery by reducing them to 17 for four in five overs. Ghazanfar struck twice early and returned the joint second most economical four-over spell in Blast history.

In a clash between the bottom two sides in the North, Dom Bess’s career best 53 off 37 balls at least gave Yorkshire a fighting total. But Derbyshire eased home by eight wickets inside 17 overs thanks largely to opener Aneurin Donald’s 54 off 30 balls.

Derbyshire were already out of knockout contention, but this was their fourth win in 13 games and Yorkshire’s eighth defeat in 12.

Yorkshire were left shell-shocked in the powerplay, which ended with them stranded on 28 for four having been inserted.

Jonny Bairstow was bowled for a five-ball duck playing back to the off-spin of Afghanistani Mohammad Ghazanfar, who also had James Wharton caught at short cover.

Sandwiched in between, Will Luxton was caught at short third-man and Dawid Malan at short fine-leg off Ben Aitchison’s seam.

On Thursday, Derbyshire reduced Worcestershire to 10 for four and lost. So they will have been wary not to let their foot off the gas. And they did not.

Pakistani overseas batter Abdullah Shafique was next to go for 26, caught at mid-on off a miscued pull at Zak Chappell as Yorkshire reached the 10-over mark at 55 for five.

Chappell struck again in the 16th with the score on 97 when he had Will Sutherland caught at deep midwicket following a miscued pull.

Bess, who hoisted two leg-side sixes off Pat Brown’s seam, kept Yorkshire afloat with his second career Blast fifty, this off 36 balls. But he fell to his next, caught at deep midwicket off Aitchison, who struck three times in four balls in the 19th over.

Either side of dismissing Bess, he had Jordan Thompson caught behind and Jafer Chohan caught at backward point in posting only Derbyshire’s second ever T20 five-for.

At Chesterfield last weekend, opener Donald smashed 85 off 30 balls as the Falcons chased 201.

Here, their task was much more straightforward, and Donald was in the mood again.

He ramped Will Sutherland’s seam for six and went on to reach his fifty off 24 balls – his sixth fifty of the campaign. By the time that was recorded, Derbyshire were motoring at 70 without loss in the sixth over.

From there, with Yorkshire sloppy in the field, the result was inevitable.

Donald miscued to point off Dan Moriarty’s left-arm spin having shared 78 inside eight overs with Australian Caleb Jewell.

He went on to post 41 not out and share an unbroken third-wicket stand of 73 with Wayne Madsen, who finished 51 not out off 28 balls and reached his fifty with the winning blow – a six over long-on off Jafer Chohan.

Speaking after the contest, Yorkshire all-rounder Dom Bess, said: “We weren’t on it, it wasn’t good enough. It probably sums up our T20 block. We played like we did at Old Trafford on Friday, and we’ve come here and been poor.

“Their young opening bowler (Ghazanfar) was just quality. I haven’t seen something like that, 2-5 in four overs, for a long time. You’d be happy with that in a four-day game, let alone a T20. Credit to him.

“We felt if we could get it to 160 or 170, we’d have a chance. But the last couple of weeks, Nye (Donald) has played proper cricket. He showed us up at Chesterfield and has done his trick there – got them off to a flyer. Once you’ve got it below seven-an-over, it’s pretty easy to just knock it around and get the odd boundary.

“I’ll hold my hands up. I dropped an absolute sitter at mid-off. If I’d have taken that – first wicket in the first over – it sets the tone. But, again, that’s the reality of where we are.”