Alastair Cook scores 35 off 26 for MCC in semi-final
Friday 20 March 2015 15:59, UK
Adil Rashid took four wickets to help Yorkshire win the Emirates T20 tournament in Dubai, beating last year’s winners Sussex by 74 runs in the final.
England’s Alastair Cook, Jonny Bairstow and Adam Lyth had all earlier impressed in the semi-finals although Cook’s MCC XI lost their game against Sussex.
Cook smashed six fours and a six in an out-of-character 35 off 26 balls, perhaps looking to prove that he shouldn’t have been excluded from England’s World Cup squad.
In the final, Jack Leaning and Andrew Hodd both hit unbeaten fifties for Yorkshire to set Sussex a stiff target of 177 to win.
It was an incredible turnaround after young Sussex all-rounder Matt Hobden had earlier dismissed Lyth (6), Lees (0) and Bairstow (0) in a triple-wicket maiden to reduce them to 10-3.
Sussex stumbled their way to 102 all out in response with Chris Nash – with 34 from 26 balls – offering the only real resistance as Rashid celebrated his return to the England fold with four wickets.
Luke Wright (1) fell cheaply for the second time of the day and Craig Cachopa (1) couldn’t match his semi-final heroics.
It was a far cry from their dominant semi-final performance where the MCC fell 19 short of Sussex’s 165-run target in the second semi-final, with Michael Carberry (6), Yuvraj Singh (6) and Sam Billings (10) falling cheaply as Will Beer took impressive figures of 4-23.
Cachopa had earlier smashed 65 off 49 deliveries for Sussex – particularly vital after Luke Wight (4) and Luke Wells (0) both fell early to Graeme Onions.
Yorkshire had themselves cruised through to the final in convincing fashion with a 21-run win in the Roses clash against Lancashire.
Bairstow (54) hit a 30-ball fifty and Lyth along with Lees also pitched in with useful contributions of 36 and 24 respectively as Yorkshire posted a 159-run target.
Lancashire never got going in response, losing wickets at regular intervals as they stumbled to 138-7 from their 20 overs.
