YORKSHIRE’S hopes of making the quarter-finals of the Friends Provident Twenty20 hang by a thread after they threw away victory for the second time in three days, this time against Warwickshire.

Chasing 156 to beat the Bears and christen the new Carnegie Pavilion at Headingley in style, only North Yorkshire’s Adam Lyth put up any resistance with the bat and once he was dismissed for 34, the home side proved mired in indecision to lose by 34 runs.

Adil Rashid and Azeem Rafiq restrained Warwickshire after the visitors had seen Neil Carter and Darren Maddy threaten an intimidating total.

Carter invoked the ire of West Indian Tino Best by hitting him for consecutive boundaries before he responded with a delivery of more than 96mph that ripped out the all-rounder’s off stump.

Rashid then displayed exemplary control of both line and length to return figures of 2-20 and move level with Alfonso Thomas as the competition’s leading wicket-taker this summer on 23.

He had captain Jim Troughton caught at mid-wicket and then lured Ian Westwood from his ground to have him messily stumped by Gerard Brophy, no doubt wondering all the while just why the England selectors preferred James Tredwell for the forthcoming one-day international series against Bangladesh.

Rich Pyrah’s three wickets helped to keep the total down and it looked insufficient by some distance once Adam Lyth strode out and took six boundaries from the first three overs of the innings.

The Whitby-born left-hander has been in fine form of late, but his departure was the match-defining moment as he feathered one through to wicket-keeper Richard Johnson off Steffan Piolet’s first ball.

Anthony McGrath was missing with a thumb injury but still, few expected the collapse that was to come in Yorkshire’s final home match of the group campaign.

Gerard Brophy – elevated to open the innings – was stumped charging Darren Maddy, Herschelle Gibbs was twice dropped before losing his leg-stump looking to pull Imran Tahir and Jacques Rudolph’s desperation at failing to time the ball ended with a reverse sweep.

Yorkshire managed a woeful 64 runs from the last 14 overs and local frustrations in the West Stand were only amplified further when Best managed the only six of the reply in the last over with the match already lost.

Director of cricket Martyn Moxon’s men now have four away matches to joust their way through, starting with a trip to Lancashire on Friday.

They have no time to lick their wounds though with a Championship fixture against Warwickshire starting today.