Joe Root provides the ‘gold dust’ when the Yorkshire Vikings go to the top of the T20 table Yorkshire News

His teammates nicknamed him “craptain” after Middlesex defeated 472 at Lord’s in 2014, the third highest chase in Championship history.

Root replaced club captain Andrew Gale on that occasion and twice more that summer: the victory of the title-clinching innings against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge, and a draw against Somerset at Headingley when the visitors escaped with nine fewer wickets.

Root also replaced then-club captain Gary Ballance when Yorkshire lost by an inning to Surrey at The Oval in 2018, the game in which Ollie Pope announced himself with a brilliant hundred against Root, who had been named captain of the Test of England the year before.

Root’s fifth test of Yorkshire leadership, and his first in cue ball cricket, came here against Derbyshire in the T20 Blast. Replacing David Willey, as he will in future games while Willey is in T20 international service before Root also returns to England’s colors, he presided over an easy 39-run win that brought Yorkshire to the top of the North Group. in net execution rate.

Yorkshire batted 174-6 after being sent at bat, Root top scorer with 49 of 36 balls with six fours as he missed what would have been his sixth half-century T20 for the club in seven innings dating back to 2018. .

Harry Brook, who could be mistaken for Root from a distance, and not just because the ’88’ on his back could be mistaken for Root’s ’66’, equaled his highest score in this year’s competition with an undefeated 48 from 34 balls with four. four and two sixes.

Jordan Thompson contributed 21 of 13 balls, including the six biggest of the afternoon when he deposited seam bowler Fynn Hudson-Prentice on the long and mid level of the Emerald Stand. George Scrimshaw, the 23-year-old right-arm medium-speed bowler, came back with a career-best 3-30, including Root’s wicket, which was fourth out with 113 in the 14th when he leaned toward the half.

Dom Bess also returned his career best 3-21 in T20 as Derbyshire retired for 135, Lockie Ferguson returned identical figures.

“It’s good to contribute to a really strong Yorkshire victory,” said Bess.

“Obviously there is still a long way to go in the tournament, and it’s really important that we keep up the momentum now, continuing the game here against Worcestershire on Wednesday.

“The team has stepped up with the England guys coming back, and of course it’s gold dust to have Rooty around. He’s performed on the biggest stages in T20 cricket, and it’s great to learn from him. “

Root was one of four changes to the team that beat Worcestershire at New Road in the previous Yorkshire T20 outing, with Thompson, Ballance and Matthew Waite returning as the club said goodbye to Jonny Bairstow’s T20 England quartet, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid and Willey.

In cloudy conditions before a crowd of 4,224, Root departed at No. 3 after Adam Lyth dropped to the fifth ball, thrown by a fine attacker from Logan van Beek.

Root performed his first van Beek delivery at the edge of the square back in front of the West Stand, the kind of charming touch that is very much his trademark. Tom Kohler-Cadmore was thrown trying to play through the offside and Ballance caught the deep limit of the middle of the wicket as Yorkshire slipped to 56-3 in the eighth, the prelude to a good 57 position in six overs between Root. and Brook, with Root deftly cutting late and sweeping Matt Critchley’s leg twist to the limit and also showing muscular strength as he punches Scrimshaw over his head as if trying to decapitate him from his shoulders.

Will Fraine skied backwards and Thompson was thrown in the final over, Yorkshire thrashed 28 of the last two overs, including a sequence of four sixes on eight balls.

Root put Yorkshire on the road with ball in hand, hitting in second more when Luis Reece skied to take aim. Ferguson, who played for Derbyshire in 2018, threw Harry Came while trying to hit him offside, Waite captured Billy Godleman’s key wicket when he picked Bess on the back square leg.

Bess then caught and released the dangerous Leus du Plooy, had Critchley take long and Brooke Guest pocketed long. Thompson had Hudson-Prentice caught long and Alex Thompson caught and threw successive balls, Ferguson also took two of two when he completed things with yorking van Beek and Scrimshaw.