Notts Outlaws slipped to a 48 run defeat in their opening T20 Blast game against Yorkshire Vikings at Headingley.

The Vikings amassed 227 for five, their highest ever T20 score, with opener Adam Lyth hitting 82 off 50 balls and Australian debutant Shaun Marsh adding 60 not out off 37.

They shared 83 inside nine overs for the third wicket before Alex Hales smacked 47 off 26 balls to raise Notts hopes early on in their chase.

But they had too much to do after he departed at 55 for two in the seventh and finished with 179 for eight.

Lyth and Marsh underpinned Yorkshire’s innings after winning the toss and were further boosted by David Willey (25 off 13), Jack Leaning (17 off seven) and Peter Handscomb (21 off seven).

The first time the Vikings run-rate dropped below 10 came in the ninth over, with Samit Patel getting Willey caught at long-on with his second ball.

Lyth pulled the second legitimate ball of the match for six off Luke Wood, but that was over the long boundary towards the East Stand side of Headingley.

The majority of the hosts’ eleven sixes went to the short Western Terrace boundary, and Notts could not get any control.

Lyth hit New Zealand leg-spinner Ish Sodhi over long-on to bring up his fifty in style off 32 balls before later falling as one of three wickets to Harry Gurney, skying a catch behind.

Marsh was happy to get his fellow left-hander on strike early on before opening his shoulders. He reached his fifty off 43.

Leaning hit Steven Mullaney for back-to-back sixes in the 17th over before Handscomb did likewise off Luke Fletcher in the 19th.

Harry Gurney finished with three wickets for 49 runs for Notts whilst Luke Fletcher picked up the other Yorkshire wicket to fall.

Notts got their chase off to a healthy start thanks to two sixes for Hales in first three overs, including one straight off England team-mate Willey.

The Outlaws had reached 32 without loss in the fourth by the time Hales was dropped on 30 at deep square by Azeem Rafiq off captain Tim Bresnan, who had Michael Lumb caught at mid-off later in the over - 33 for one.

Hales scored 42 of the first 50 runs, brought up in the sixth over.

Rafiq atoned for his earlier error with his first ball, in the seventh over, by getting Hales caught at deep mid-wicket, leaving Notts at 55 for two.

Adil Rashid bowled Samit Patel and Rafiq struck again in the eleventh, getting Rikki Wessels caught and bowled as Notts fell to 84 for four in the eleventh. And they could not recover.

They reached 15 overs at 126 for four, still needing 102.

Rafiq finished with two for 38 and Rashid one for 22 from their four-over spells, while Steve Patterson added two late wickets.  

The Outlaws will hope to bounce back when they travel to Edgbaston to face Birmingham Bears tomorrow (July 8).

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