Cricket: Yorkshire Vikings confident ahead of big semi-final at Headingley

Gary Ballance says Yorkshire must move on from their Finals Day heartbreak when they take on Surrey in the Royal London One Day Cup semi-final at Headingley tomorrow.
Tim Bresnan and Jack Brooks celebrate another wicket against NottsTim Bresnan and Jack Brooks celebrate another wicket against Notts
Tim Bresnan and Jack Brooks celebrate another wicket against Notts

Yorkshire lost to Durham in the T20 Blast semi-final last weekend, but put the disappointment behind them to crush Nottinghamshire at Scarborough and move back into the race for a third successive County Championship crown in the week.

And now Ballance, who led Yorkshire at Scarborough and scored a century in their 305-run rout, said: “It’s going to be a huge game. We missed out in the T20 and in last year’s semi-finals so hopefully we can put in a good performance.

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“There’s going to be a good crowd and hopefully we can put in a good performance for them, get a win and I’m sure there would be loads of Yorkshire fans going down to Lord’s if we play well on Sunday.

“We need to be positive and back each other. I think that’s what worked after we started slowly in both competitions.

“We became a bit more positive and aggressive in the way that we batted and bowled. I think it showed as both competitions went on and if we can do that on Sunday, it will give us the best chance to win.

“We’ve got to forget about Finals Day.”

A career-best 5-36 - adding up to figures of 8-51 - from Tim Bresnan helped Yorkshire wrap up a comprehensive victory against Nottinghamshire in the afternoon session yesterday.

“There was no panic,” said coach Jason Gillespie.

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“There was a real calmness in the dressing room even when we found ourselves in a spot of bother. That is a hallmark of a decent side and a side that backs their ability, trusts their game and believes. We just have to control what we can and keep level-headed.”