Yorkshire have triumped at Centurion with a 6 wicket win over a very impressive Trinidad & Tobago side. The charge was led by Gary Ballance whose 64 not out from 37 balls included 2 fours and 6 sixes as he and Adil Rashid ensured the Tykes progress into the main Champions League draw.

MATCH ZONE

MATCH REPORT

Yorkshire have triumped at Centurion with a 6 wicket win over a very impressive Trinidad & Tobago side. The charge was led by Gary Ballance whose 64 not out from 37 balls included 2 fours and 6 sixes as he and Adil Rashid ensured the Tykes progress into the main Champions League draw.

Earlier Ryan Sidebottom had bagged 3-13 from his 4 overs as he ensured Yorkshire made a stunning start.

Ballance and Rashid came together with their team struggling at 51-4 but the resolve in this Yorkshire side should never be underestimated. It was stunning stuff.

Yorkshire had needed a similar start in their chase of 149 to win as they managed against Uva Next yesterday, but the loss of Phil Jaques, lbw to Ravi Rampaul for 6, and Andrew Gale, bowled by Sammy Bandree for 2, did nothing to ease White Rose nerves.

Adam Lyth (19) played some fluent strokes before being bowled off his pads by Emrit. He had got lucky when a top edge sailed high into the hands of Emritt only for it to be spilled. He couldn’t make T&T pay and then Root perished for 16 when he nudged a return catch to the spin of Ottley.

It needed something special to take victory from the situation Gary Balance and Adil Rashid found themselves in at 51-4 midway through the 9th over. They required 98 runs in 63 balls, but Rashid was not beaten yet, He hit two fours off Emritt, deposited Ottley for a straight six as the required runrate began to fall.

Balance cut Cooper over square for six and nailed a beauty off Simmons for another maximum in the next. Yorkshire needed 40 from 26 balls and your correspondent was down to his wrists – the tension was getting too much.

He then hit Emritt over third man for another six and it was a no ball too. The ask was down to a run-a-ball. With 14 to win Balance creamed Rampaul through cover for a four to bring up his fifty in 32 balls.

Yorkshire had started off like a house of fire with the ball as Trinidad found themselves 8-3 at the end of the third over, but you don’t come to the Karbonn Smart CLt20 to play teams that roll over and die.

A splendid fourth wicket partnership of 93 in 12.1 overs between Darren Bravo and Denesh Ramdin restored Caribbean hopes. Playing with immense sense the pair gradually put foot to metal before launched Adil Rashid high into the night’s sky for the ball to land in the reliable hands of Gary Balance, running around to his right at long-on.

At 101-4 in the 16th over T&T were well and truly back in it, but Mohammed was run out by a swooping Andrew Gale off his first ball. He was sent back by Ramdin but was well short as Rashid took the non-striker’s bails.

Ramdin fell 20 runs later for a superb 59 from 40 balls which had included 6 fours and a maximum to rescue his side. He fell in an uncharacteristically comical way as he ended with his nose in the dirt as Root’s throw beat his attempt to return for a second run.

Cooper must have a kitchen sink hidden on his attire as he gives it to every delivery faced. His 15 came in 9 balls and included a number of skied efforts and 2 boundaries but was ended when he drilled Ryan Sidebottom’s first ball of the last over straight to Lyth at deep cover.

Sidebottom made it two-in-two balls when he bowled Ravi Rampaul (6) and ended with astonishing figures of 3-13 from his 4 overs.

It had been a tremendous effort by T&T to reach 148-9 in their 20 overs, but ultimately it wasn’t enough as Yorkshire chased down the 149 to win with 8 balls to spare.

It’s a huge day for Yorkshire cricket. The main draw awaits and the big boys cannot afford to take this White Rose side lightly.

South Africa has been a great ride so far, but it’s not over yet!! See you in Cape Town!!

JAMES BUTTLER

In South Africa thanks to sponsorship from:

LEEDS CITY COLLEGE

Proud to support Yorkshire cricket. Play Your Part! www.leedscitycollege.ac.uk

APPROVED FOOD AND DRINK

The biggest online seller of clearance food and drinks www.approvedfood.co.uk Twitter: @approvedfood

ENJOY DIGITAL

Website developer for Yorkshire County Cricket Club www.enjoy-digital.co.uk Twitter: @enjoydigital

SIMON FALK EYECARE

Optician to Yorkshire County Cricket Club www.simonfalk.co.uk Twitter: @sfalkeyecare

MATCH PREVIEW

There is no time to rest for Tykes as they travel to Centurion on Wednesday knowing that a victory against Trinidad & Tobago will guarantee they top Qualifying Pool B and cement their place in Champions League Group B.

The opening win against Uva Next puts Andrew Gale’s side in pole position to progress, but making it two-in-two will require another gutsy performance.

One enforced change is expected with Adam Lyth likely to return for the departing David Miller. The hero of the win against Uva was always going to represent his South African franchise the Dolphins, but will return to White Rose colours for the final CLt20 group game should Yorkshire get there.

Should Yorkshire lose they would then have to rely on Uva beating T&T and it would come down to run rate. A win makes that irrelevant.

The Caribbean outfit, Trinidad and Tobago, beat Jamaica by a crunching 63 runs back in January to book their place in October’s CLt20 qualifying alongside Yorkshire and UVA Next.

They are heavily depleted however, as a key trio have opted to represent their IPL teams instead. Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard and Sunil Narine will now turn out for Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders respectively, having first played key roles in the successful Caribbean T20 campaign. Bravo has since been ruled out of any participation with a thigh strain.

T&T won their qualifying group in 2011, have qualified for the main draw three times and are not to be underestimated. Captained by the wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin, who was part of the West Indies successful World T20 side, the Trinidad and Tobago batting includes internationals Adrian Barath, Lendl Simmons and Darren Bravo.

All-rounder Kevon Cooper enjoyed success for Rajasthan Royals with his big hitting while Ravi Rampaul provides pace in the attack. Samuel Badree’s legbreaks often open the bowling. He has the best economy rate in t20 cricket at 4.69.

Trinidad and Tobago Squad: Denesh Ramdin (capt), Samuel Badree, Adrian Barath, Darren Bravo, Kevon Cooper, Rayad Emrit, Shannon Gabriel, Sherwin Ganga, Jason Mohammad, Evin Lewis, Yannick Ottley, William Perkins, Ravi Rampaul, Lendl Simmons, Navin Stewart.