YORKSHIRE’S NatWest T20 Blast hopes are hanging by the thinnest of threads after a four-wicket defeat to Derbyshire at a sold out Chesterfield yesterday, their sixth from 11 matches.

The Vikings have only won four times this summer, and even three wins from three to end their North Division campaign may not be enough to secure a quarter-final berth.

Andrew Gale’s side, invited to bat, failed to get to grips with a sluggish pitch in front of a 4,500 crowd on the way to 146-9.

They slipped to 16-3 in the fifth over before losing three wickets in the final over of an innings which saw Glenn Maxwell top-score with 45 off 29 balls in his penultimate appearance before linking up with Australia A for a fortnight in India later this week.

Wayne Madsen and Hamish Rutherford then hit 41 and 40 in a routine chase completed with seven balls to spare.

Yorkshire had to do without Aaron Finch yesterday due to a stress reaction in his right foot sustained during Friday’s win over Durham at Headingley, and he could have played his last match for the county this season.

It meant Ashes squad man Adil Rashid was promoted to open the batting, although he joined Alex Lees and Andrew Gale in departing to Wes Durston’s off-spin inside the six overs of powerplay.

Maxwell hit five fours and a six in his second highest score for the county, and he and Jonny Bairstow (22) shared 64 inside eight overs for the fourth wicket to steady things.

But their departures to Greg Cork and Shiv Thakor in the 13th and 14th overs, leaving the score at 88-5, hurt Yorkshire badly before three wickets fell in Thakor’s last over of the innings.

Matthew Fisher, Maxwell and Liam Plunkett all struck inside the first 11 overs of the Derby chase, but by that time the Falcons had 89 on the board.

Maxwell, meanwhile, is likely to play Championship cricket for Yorkshire on his return to Headingley next month until Kane Williamson arrives on August 24.