CricketTalk - Yorkshire CCC's T20 Blast hopes hang by thread | England call up Rashid to tame Pakistan threat | Alex Lees rapped for umpire criticism

WHETHER it is Yorkshire's huffing and puffing in the NatWest T20 Blast or England's poor performance with the bat in the Test arena against Pakistan at Lord's there's no subject too big to tackle for your favourite cricket podcast (in Yorkshire anyway).
Yorkshire and England's Jonny Bairstow. Picture: Mike Egerton/PA.Yorkshire and England's Jonny Bairstow. Picture: Mike Egerton/PA.
Yorkshire and England's Jonny Bairstow. Picture: Mike Egerton/PA.

The Yorkshire Post’s cricket correspondent Chris Waters joins host Phil Harrison to discuss the slender chances of Alex Lees’s side reaching the knockout stages in the 20-over format, tensions in which have been rising as seen by the Vikings captain being reprimanded by his club for remarks he made about umpire Martin Saggers following a nail-biting defeat to Nottinghamshire Outlaws last Friday.

REPRIMANDED: Yorkshire Vikings' captain, Alex Lees. Picture: Bruce RollinsonREPRIMANDED: Yorkshire Vikings' captain, Alex Lees. Picture: Bruce Rollinson
REPRIMANDED: Yorkshire Vikings' captain, Alex Lees. Picture: Bruce Rollinson

Lees’s post-match criticism of Saggers landed him in hot water and saw him handed a two-match ban by bosses at Headingley - suspended for 12 months - in his first full season in charge as the county’s one-day side.

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Yorkshire have three games remaining to give themselves a chance of making the last eight, starting with Wednesday night’s Headingley meeting with Durham before an encounter with Northants at the same venue 48 hours later.

England's Joe Root hits a long hop down the throat of caught by Pakistan's Yasir Shah (not pictured) on day four of the First Test match at Lord's. Picture: Anthony Devlin/PA.England's Joe Root hits a long hop down the throat of caught by Pakistan's Yasir Shah (not pictured) on day four of the First Test match at Lord's. Picture: Anthony Devlin/PA.
England's Joe Root hits a long hop down the throat of caught by Pakistan's Yasir Shah (not pictured) on day four of the First Test match at Lord's. Picture: Anthony Devlin/PA.

While Yorkshire’s England contingent of Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow and Gary Ballance will have been disappointed at the nature of their defeat to Pakistan in the opemning test match at Lord’s on Sunday, the result may have opened the path for county colleague Adil rashid to play his first home Test when the two sides reconvene at Old Trafford on Friday.

Our team discuss the merits of Yorkshire’s leg-spinning all-rounder earning his opportunity to be England’s first-choice spinner ahead of Moeen Ali.