South Africa’s David Miller returned to haunt his old county and help Yorkshire to take a significant step towards the quarter-finals of the Friends Life t20 competition at the hands of Durham at the Riverside last night.

The left-handed 23-year-old crashed a breathtaking 74 not out off 35 balls as the Tykes powered towards a commanding 171-6, which also included 30 off 20 from Adam Lyth and 41 off 32 from Joe Root.

The former Durham player walloped five fours and six sixes, four of which came off England leg-spinner Scott Borthwick (1-46 from four overs). He peppered the leg-side boundary, including one six on to the pavilion roof off Borthwick.

Miller would have then had his heart in his mouth watching compatriot Herschelle Gibbs, himself an ex-Yorkshire player, tee off to put the hosts on course for victory with 76 off 47 balls.

But when he fell to Moin Ashraf, leaving the score at 118-4 after 13 overs, the visitors were able to put the squeeze on and hold their nerve expertly.

World Twenty20 winner Ryan Sidebottom was brilliant in claiming career-best figures of 4-25 as Durham were bowled out for 159 in 19.5 overs to clinch a 12-run success.

Yorkshire, who gained revenge for last Friday’s two-run defeat at Headingley, go joint top of the North Division with Nottinghamshire after their third win in four matches.

It was Miller’s first half-century for Yorkshire at the fourth attempt. And, ironically, his only score above 50 in a similar spell for Durham last year came against the White Rose county at Scarborough.

He came to the crease with the score at 64-2 in the eighth over after Phil Jaques and Lyth, who also hit two sixes over mid-wicket, had fallen to Mitch Claydon and Graham Onions.

He and Gary Ballance shared 45 in 5.4 overs for the fifth wicket and then an unbroken 34 in just 13 balls for the sixth with stand-in captain Azeem Rafiq to finish the innings in scintillating fashion. A totsal of 34 runs came off the last two overs, including 19 off the last.

Gibbs, who hit Rafiq’s off-spin for two sixes over mid-wicket, helped to take his side to 108-2 after ten overs of their chase. But things started to go wrong from there. Only ten runs came from the next three overs, which included him holing out to Rafiq at extra cover.

Sidebottom had earlier got rid of Phil Mustard, and he returned as conditions got darker to get Gareth Breese caught by Rafiq off a leading edge and Borthwick trapped lbw, leaving the score at 138-7 after 16.5 overs.

He also bowled Liam Plunkett in the penultimate over to leave Durham needing 16 off the last over, in which Mitchell Starc (3-33) took two wickets.

Yorkshire’s next match is against Notts at Scarborough tomorrow, where Andrew Gale hopes to return from his hip muscle injury to play in the table-topping clash.