Lancashire must hate the sight of Azeem Rafiq.

After the off-spinner starred to win last week’s Roses clash at Old Trafford, he did it again with the ball at Headingley last night to help send the Red Rose ranks packing once more.

Andrew Gale and Adam Lyth led a strong Yorkshire batting display in the gloom to set up the match before Rafiq’s return of 2-29 was key in restricting the visitors to 167 all out in response to 178-4.

There is no doubt that leg-spinner Adil Rashid’s return of 4-26 was the pick of the figures, but he only came to the fore to ram home the advantage in the latter stages of the Lancashire chase.

A fifth-wicket stand of 51 between Karl Brown and Gareth Cross had taken Lancashire to 118-4 in the 15th over, but they needed some big hits to stay in the contest.

And Rashid struck three times in his fourth over to virtually end all hope of an away win.

He trapped Cross (30) and Luke Procter lbw and had Brown caught at long-off by Rafiq for 35.

A third win from four Friends Life t20 matches has put the White Rose county in a commanding position in the North Division table with a game in hand on the majority of their rivals.

Captain Gale top-scored with 60 off 46 balls, while Lyth chipped in with 45 off 33 balls.

The pair shared 65 in seven and a half overs for the second wicket after Gale and opening partner Jonny Bairstow (32 off 19 balls) had got their side off to a flier with a partnership of 69 in exactly the same amount of overs.

Each batsman hit a six each, while a late 25 not out off 15 balls from Gary Ballance included two more maximums.

The haul of five sixes doubled Yorkshire’s tally of sixes they have hit all season in Twenty20 cricket.

The mid-innings break was cut short by five minutes due to the forecast threat of rain, which never arrived.

But Lancashire will be wishing it had because, despite two sixes for opener Tom Smith off Rashid’s leg-spin, they were soon in trouble at 27-2 after three overs.

Stephen Moore was run out by a direct hit from Joe Root at long-on as he went for two and Rashid got revenge on Smith with a smart tumbling catch off his own bowling.

Rafiq then bowled captain Steven Croft with his first ball and trapped Sajid Mahmood lbw with his sixth ball to leave the score at 67-4 in the eighth over.

And that was when Rashid nipped in to claim the lion’s share of the glory.

Jordan Clark nearly snatched it away, however, with a late blast of 38 off 18 balls, but they could not get 12 off the last over.

Mahmood had earlier been the pick of the visitors’ attack with 1-20 from his four overs, getting Lyth caught and bowled.

Yorkshire face Durham in the LV= County Championship at the Riverside today.