Ahead of the upcoming NatWest T20 Blast quarter-final, cricket writer Peter Miller takes a look at four Yorkshire Vikings players who might pose a threat to Glamorgan in Cardiff on Thursday night.
Glamorgan are all set for the biggest game of their season when they take on Yorkshire in the quarter-final of the NatWest T20 Blast at the SSE SWALEC on Thursday night. While most of those in the crowd will be aware of the stars in the Glamorgan team they may need some help to know which Yorkshire players to look out for.
Yorkshire’s Test stars will be at The Oval taking on Pakistan and overseas player Travis Head has been called up by Australia and as a result none of them will be available. Even though those household names are not making the trip to Cardiff, there are still some excellent players in the Yorkshire squad that Glamorgan will need to be aware of.
Jack Leaning – 243 runs, average 30.37, strike rate 150.93
22-year-old Jack Leaning is Yorkshire’s leading run scorer in the NatWest T20 Blast this year and his 64 not out from 29 balls was the innings that got Yorkshire into the last eight with a win over Northamptonshire. In that win he came to the crease with his team at 63-3 in the 11th over and by the time he was done, they had a match winning 177/5. He has been Yorkshire’s finisher this season and Glamorgan will have to bowl well at the death to contain him.
David Willey – 190 runs, average 23.75, strike rate 135.71. 8 wickets, average 22.25, economy 8.15
Having been at Finals Day with Northamptonshire last year England man David Willey has done all of this before. He has been opening the batting this season for Yorkshire and he has been capable of explosive innings but is yet to be at his best in this year’s tournament. He has made just one fifty but he has a history of performing on the biggest stage. He is also capable of bowling well in the PowerPlay and at the death, he can win games with the bat and the ball. Glamorgan will need to keep him quiet.
Tim Bresnan – 18 wickets, average 17.27, economy 8.18
It has been a while since Tim Bresnan was an England regular but he is still a very capable county performer. He is Yorkshire’s leading wicket-taker in the T20 Blast this season and he will be taking the new ball with Willey on Thursday night. He is not quite as quick as he was when he was winning England the Ashes in Australia back in 2011 but he is still a bowler of a heavy ball and canny enough to deceive batsmen with his variations. He will be a challenge to get away inside the PowerPlay.
Azeem Rafiq – 12 wickets, average 19.16, economy 6.73
There is some talk of Adil Rashid being in England’s Test team and as a result he may be unavailable, but Azeem Rafiq should be there with his wily off-spin. Often Rafiq’s main weapons are not turn but variations of pace and getting the ball to dip late on batsmen. He has the best economy rate of any Yorkshire bowler this season and he will look to choke the Glamorgan batsmen in the middle overs. They will need to be at their best to hit Rafiq for boundaries.
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