Yorkshire 170 for 3 (Malan 81*) beat Derbyshire 166 for 8 (Haider 74, Mike 3-39) by seven wickets
Madsen’s 44 off 26 in the Falcons 166 for 8 batting first means he remains one of seven players worldwide to have scored five fifties in a row in this format. Jos Buttler, Virender Sehwag and David Warner are on the list.
That paved the way for the Vikings to win their third successive North Group fixture, backing up last week’s successes over Nottinghamshire and Lancashire.
Both teams came into this fixture having had identical seasons – winless in the Championship, having lost their first three games in the Blast before winning their last two last week.
Yorkshire started well, with Derbyshire limited to 19 for 1 after four overs, including Mike getting Luis Reece caught scooping. But Haider counterattacked with success and ensured 40 runs came off the next four overs, playing confidently on both sides of the wicket in excellent batting conditions.
Tom Wood fell to legspinner Jafer Chohan’s first ball in the ninth over – 59 for 2 – as he was brilliantly caught at a wide short third-man by a diving Will Luxton following a reverse sweep. But that strike only served to bring Madsen to the crease.
Both Haider, who reached 50 off 35 balls, and Madsen struck the ball cleanly during an 88-run partnership inside nine overs, though the wind was quickly taken out of Derbyshire’s sails.
Madsen drilled David Wiese into the covers to end his shot at history, leaving Derbyshire 147 for 3 in the 17th over, before Haider was smartly caught by Wiese off Mike in the next. Mike also bowled a reverse sweeping Leus du Plooy before another three wickets fell in the last eight balls to give Yorkshire the definite advantage at halfway.
And it didn’t take long for the result to become obvious as Lyth and Malan were quickly into their stride. Malan pulled seamer Zak Chappell for six over square leg and dominated the powerplay as 54 came from the first six overs.
Unlike Yorkshire, Derbyshire’s bowlers just couldn’t drag things back as they suffered defeat number four of the campaign.
Malan pulled his second six off George Scrimshaw’s pace early in the eighth over, a vicious shot over midwicket to take him into the 40s, and by the time he reached 50 off 35 balls in the 11th over, Yorkshire were 103 for 1. Lyth had been bowled slog-sweeping at Wood’s offspin before Will Luxton fell cheaply having miscued a pull at Scrimshaw to square leg, leaving the score at 110 for 2 after 12.
Yorkshire’s target was reduced to 42 off the last five overs at 125 for 2, and a couple of lusty blows from Namibia international allrounder Wiese ended Malan’s hopes of a sixth career T20 century but more importantly gave the hosts another two points.
Wiese actually fell for an entertaining 30 to Chappell, but it was nothing more than a consolatory wicket at 158 for 3 in the 18th over. That allowed Mike to clinch the win with a straight six off Zaman Khan in the 19th over.