Yorkshire’s director of professional cricket Martyn Moxon has bemoaned the shot execution of his batsmen as the county’s hopes of qualifying for the Friends Provident Twenty20 quarter-final hang by a thread.

The White Rose simply have to win their remaining two North Division fixtures against Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire to have any chance of advancing, also hoping for other results to go their way.

Not for the first time, Yorkshire threw away a winning position in their match against Warwickshire at Edgbaston on Wednesday after restricting the hosts to a seemingly below par 145-8. Yorkshire then slipped to 131 all out in reply.

Moxon said: “Our chances of making the quarter-finals are slim, let’s be honest. It’s very frustrating because again it’s a game we should have won.

“As we know in Twenty20, it can change quickly in a matter of overs. We didn’t bat well enough once more.

“It was all about shot selection. They practice those shots, and I’m not against the guys playing them, it’s just about executing them better.

“When we get it right, we can look a very good side. But we have let slip a number of winning positions throughout the group stages.

“Certainly against Warwickshire at home, our batting let us down. At Lancashire we should have got more runs than we did, and away at Durham was another example of that.

“That Northamptonshire thing (Rich Pyrah’s no ball) was just a freak incident that you can’t account for.”

Beating a Nottinghamshire side who sit pretty at the top of the group, having only lost three out of their 14 matches so far, will be the first half of Yorkshire’s task at Trent Bridge tomorrow night.

They will then have to beat a Derbyshire side that occupies fourth spot in the North Division on Sunday, and one that beat the Tykes in their opener at Headingley at the start of last month.

All that will prove to be academic, however, should Derby beat Northamptonshire at the County Ground tonight.

Moxon added: “We definitely have to win them both. Whether that is ultimately enough, we will have to wait and see.” The likelihood is that tomorrow’s match will be Australian overseas bowler Clint McKay’s penultimate for the county.

He said: “It’s key moments of the game which we’re not utilising at the moment, we aren’t quite nailing them right.

“Hopefully we can keep chipping away and come out with two big performances over the weekend.”

Even if Yorkshire fail to qualify for the last eight, McKay says these next two matches could set his team-mates up nicely for the rest of the season.

He said: “It hasn’t quite gone according to plan, but it’s important we build momentum with two good performances. It’s not just about this tournament, but also for the guys in the Clydesdale Bank 40 and the County Championship.”

Ajmal Shahzad will miss the next two matches with fluid around his hamstring. It is hoped that he will be fit to face Essex in the County Championship next week.