YORKSHIRE are now the holders of the two highest innings totals in English T20 history after smashing a stunning 255-2 in a first Vitality Blast victory of the season over Leicestershire at Grace Road.
The Vikings fell five runs short of their own record, 260-4 against Northamptonshire at Emerald Headingley in 2017, on a chastening night for both bowling attacks.
Captain Tom Kohler-Cadmore top-scored with 96 not out from 54 balls, while opening partner Adam Lyth crashed 69 off 35 and West Indies overseas star Nicholas Pooran 67 off 28.
Leicestershire responded with a spirited 201-4, handing Yorkshire a 54-run win from their third North Group match to go with a defeat and a No Result.
Yorkshire’s innings included 19 sixes, just one short of the record 20 set by Essex against Surrey at Chelmsford only last week.
Kohler-Cadmore hit eight of them and left-handers Pooran and Lyth six and four apiece. Harry Brook added the last.
Kohler-Cadmore and Lyth shared an opening stand of 116 in 10.1 overs after the Foxes had elected to bowl first upon winning the toss on a baking hot evening.
In Yorkshire’s innings, 13 overs went for double-figure scores, while four of those went for 20 or more, including left-arm spinner Callum Parkinson for 27 in the 16th when Pooran hoisted three sixes, including one off a no ball, and a four.
A green-tinged pitch played like a batsman’s dream as Kohler-Cadmore and Lyth raced out of the blocks and posted 76 off the powerplay.
Kohler-Cadmore was particularly strong down the ground and over wide long-on on the way to his highest T20 score in a Yorkshire shirt.
In reaching his fifty off 32 balls, the 24-year-old was considerably slower than Lyth (21 balls) and Pooran (22) to the milestone.
Pooran was elevated from batting at number seven in Saturday’s defeat to Derbyshire at Chesterfield to number three, and David Willey did not even get a bat against a friendly attack.
This was some way for the Vikings’ top order to warm up for Thursday’s blockbuster Roses clash with Lancashire at a sold out Headingley (7pm).
But their bowlers were taken to task in the Foxes chase, even if you never felt the 256 target was being threatened.
When Neil Dexter was bowled by Duanne Olivier as he shuffled across his stumps and attempted to play to leg, Leicestershire had reached 51 in the sixth over.
South African speedster Olivier was one of three changes for the Vikings from that Derby defeat, with fellow seamers Mat Pillans and Tim Bresnan also coming in for Jonny Tattersall and injured duo Matthew Fisher (collarbone/thumb) and Josh Poysden (head).
Yorkshire’s sole frontline spin option, Bess, struck at the end of the 10th over when Australian Mark Cosgrove (31) skewed a catch to Gary Ballance at backward point, leaving the score at 82-2.
Jordan Thompson later forced Colin Ackermann to play onto his stumps (110-3 in the 13th), but Arron Lilley continued the batsman-themed night with some clean hitting on the way to 47 as the visitors also erred in line and length.
While Thompson (1-19 from three overs) was impressive, Willey probably just pipped him to the tag of the evening’s best bowler despite going wicketless in conceding only 23 from his four overs.
Pillans removed Lilley in the penultimate over of the match as Leicester fell to 177-4, but they did ensure that this fixture can lay claim to the joint English record for sixes in a match - 31, which was also recorded by Essex and Surrey at Chelmsford last week.
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