England new boy Harry Brook starred with an unbeaten 60 off 27 balls as Yorkshire secured a seven-wicket opening night Vitality Blast win over Worcestershire at Headingley.
After the Rapids slumped from 142 for three in the 16th over, losing six wickets for 30 to finish on a below-par 172 for nine, England’s Dawid Malan (33) shared a 70-run opening partnership with Adam Lyth (40) to start the Joe Root-captained Vikings’ chase.
But both fell as the score slipped to 88 for three in the 11th over – only for Brook and Root to unite in an unbeaten fourth-wicket stand of 87 inside eight overs.
Root, captaining Yorkshire with David Willey at the Indian Premier League, played the ideal supporting role with 35 off 24 as the win was secured with 11 balls remaining.
Brook, who made his T20 international debut in January and is in England’s Test squad against New Zealand next week, posted his ninth fifty in 10 innings in T20 and Championship cricket this summer.
Jack Haynes excelled for Worcestershire with 61 off 33 balls on a fast and true pitch. After three hundreds in as many Championship games, the 21-year-old right-hander blazed a career-best T20 score. But his side’s innings subsided badly shortly after his departure.
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In the day’s other game Somerset gained some revenge for their defeat by Kent in last year’s final by opening this campaign with an eight-wicket win at Canterbury.
Rilee Roussow smashed 81 from 54 balls, including seven fours and two sixes, and captain Tom Abell hit 48 from 29 deliveries as Somerset coasted beyond their victory target of 163.
Roussow and Abell shared an unbeaten stand of 121 to take their side home with five balls to spare.
Earlier Jack Leaning blasted 72 from 43 balls as the defending champions recovered from just 52 for four at halfway to post 162 for six, with Lewis Gregory taking three for 25.