Match Report: Hobart Hurricanes vs Yorkshire Vikings

Yorkshire Vikings completed a resounding nine-wicket win with more than seven overs to spare against Hobart Hurricanes to end their Group A campaign on a winning note.

Neither side could qualify for tonight’s Abu Dhabi T20 final having lost their first games to Lahore, so this clash was purely for pride between the English and the Australians.

The Vikings, playing their last match of 2018 in any format, comfortably chased down a target of 141 as opener Tom Kohler-Cadmore hit an unbeaten 72 off 42 balls and 19-year-old Harry Brook chipped in with 42 not out off 22.

Hobart made 140-7 and were hurt by losing four wickets for 24 runs as they slipped from a position of strength at 88-2 in the 12th over having opted to bat first.

Spin worked well for the disciplined Vikings, with left-armer Karl Carver claiming 2-29 from four overs in his first T20 appearance since July 2017.

Carver’s last appearance, a T20 Blast game against Worcestershire at Emerald Headingley, had seen him hit for six sixes in an over by Ross Whiteley.

Carver had Caleb Jewell stumped for 38 and Sean Willis caught at deep backward square-leg sweeping for 35.

The pair had shared 56 for the third wicket to give the Hurricanes a chance of a good score. Unfortunately, it did not materialise against a disciplined Yorkshire attack.

Carver’s fellow spinners Adam Lyth, captaining the side, and Josh Poysden claimed a cheap wicket apiece, as did miserly seamer Ben Coad (1-8 from three overs).

Yorkshire’s chase got off to a racing start at 45-0 in the fifth over before Lyth, who had hit two successive sixes off Charlie Wakim’s part-time spin, later miscued Jordan Clark to cover.

Brook then hit seven of his first nine balls for four, taking a liking to seamers Nathan Ellis and Clark as Yorkshire reached 88-1 after eight overs.

From there, it was going to take something special for the Tasmanians to fight back – and they could not manage it.

Kohler-Cadmore and second-wicket partner Brook shared 99 unbroken in eight overs, with the former reaching his fifty off 32 balls.

“It’s always nice to finish the season with a win and some runs personally. It leaves you going into pre-season with a good taste in your mouth and gives me confidence heading into the next few weeks with the (England) Lions coming out here. The spinners and Ben Coad were superb for us. For a seamer to bowl three overs 1-8 out here is so special. The pitch skidded on nicely and you could hit through the line, so it was hard to defend. For him to bowl how he did is special. The spinners were great. Josh Poysden did it again having bowled well against Lahore, and he’s showed us what he can do with the white ball. I’m very excited about what he can deliver for us over the coming years. Karl Carver and Adam Lyth also bowled really tight. We’re putting ourselves under pressure, which is good for the coming season. It’s a long way away now, but it is going to give these guys confidence.”

Yorkshire’s man-of-the-match Tom Kohler-Cadmore

“It was a disappointing result. We were at least 30 runs short. We had a couple of starts from a few of the guys, our younger players. But they needed to go on to get us to a big score. The bowling, we weren’t too bad I didn’t think. But Yorkshire played with quite a bit of freedom. When guys are in moods like that, it’s pretty hard to stop. Nathan Ellis was great in his first game yesterday. We are very inexperienced. It’s the first hit on turf for most of these guys for the season, so there was going to be a fair bit of rust around. The pleasing thing was that some of our kids who played yesterday were pretty nervous, but they came out today and played pretty well, Caleb Jewell, Sean Willis and Jack White at the end. They are playing against some high quality opposition here with a lot of first-class experience. Looking forward for us, it’s been a great little development tour.”
Ben Rohret, Hobart Hurricanes Coach