JOE Root’s superb all-round display was not enough to save Yorkshire’s Vitality Blast season as they slipped to a seven-run Roses defeat at Emirates Old Trafford.

Both sides collapsed from positions of strength with the bat to contribute to a thrilling fixture, but Yorkshire’s was most damaging as they pursued a 168 target.

They have now lost their last four games in the North Group, including three in the last four days, and are out of quarter-final contention as a result.

Root took 2-25 from four overs as Lancashire fell from 132-1 in the 15th over of their innings to finish on 167-6.

The England Test captain then hit a classy 64 off 39 balls as the Vikings reached 115-1 in the 13th over, sharing 91 with Adam Lyth (45).

But the pair were two of three run outs - Will Fraine the other - in what was a spectacular collapse.

It left Jonny Tattersall and debutant Matthew Revis needing to get 12 off Saqib Mahmood in the last over to win, which they failed to do, as Yorkshire finished on 160-6.

Yorkshire have one group game remaining against Derbyshire at Emerald Headingley on Sunday afternoon, their final game of 2020.

The defeat means Yorkshire are still without a Blast Roses win since August 2017.

Lancashire opener Liam Livingstone top-scored with 69 off 43 balls and Steven Croft almost matched him with 58 off 45, but Root’s off-spin contributed significantly to the loss of five wickets for 16 runs.

Second-wicket pair Livingstone and Croft shared 130 - their side’s record partnership in Blast games versus Yorkshire.

They united for 14.1 overs after the early departure of Alex Davies, caught behind off Duanne Olivier with the third ball of the match.

Inside the powerplay, there were three lbw appeals from Lyth and Dawid Malan which all looked out on replay. The first of those, with Livingstone not yet in double figures, against Lyth, was hardly appealed for.

Livingstone and Croft shared all seven sixes in the innings.

Livingstone reached his 50 first off 34 balls before Croft’s came off 39.

Left-arm wrist spinner Sam Wisniewski, an 18-year-old debutant who bowled two encouraging overs for 15, was one of five White Rose spinners used.

With five and a half overs remaining, Lancashire were eyeing close to 200. But then came the quite remarkable collapse of five wickets for 16 runs, including two wickets apiece for Root and seamer Jordan Thompson.

Thompson had Livingstone caught at long-on at 132-2 in the 15th over before Root had Croft caught at short fine-leg sweeping - 135-4 in the 16th.

In all, Lancashire only added 35 runs for the loss of five wickets in the final 33 balls, with 13 overs bowled by spin through an innings which saw no other home batsman reach 20.

Skipper Lyth cut Luke Wood for six over backward point in the third over of Yorkshire’s reply, only for Malan (eight) to miscue a pull off Danny Lamb to mid-on in the fourth as the score fell to 24-1.

Brilliant Root then pulled Wood for six over mid-wicket in the fifth over and also added four boundaries in his first 12 balls, helping his side reach 58-1 after six overs of powerplay.

Root and Lyth went on to share 91 inside 10 overs before a White Rose collapse saw Lyth, Root and Fraine all run out coming back for two and Harry Brook trapped lbw as the score fell to 148-5 in the 18th.

The target became 19 off two overs, with Matthew Parkinson getting Thompson caught at long-on before Mahmood comfortably defended 12 off the last to seal his side’s place in the quarter-finals.

After the game, frustrated Yorkshire coach Andrew Gale said: “This is one of a few games we should have won.

“It feels like we’ve been the nearly team. At Leicester last week, against Durham last night and again tonight.

“We did so much good stuff tonight. In the field, we pegged it back really well. We probably could have saved 10 runs, but you can always say that about T20 cricket.

“From a batting point of view, that partnership between Rooty and Lythy was outstanding. But, to be fair to them, they’ve just stuck their hands up in the dressing room and said, ‘One of us should have got us over the line’.

“Three run outs - that’s schoolboy in my eyes. That’s cost us.

“We are lacking confidence and belief because winning tight games is tough. Unfortunately, a number of times we’ve fallen short.

“I feel like when we do get on the right side of one of them, we’ll have that confidence to do it over and over again.”

A distraught Lyth added: “There’s no way we should have lost that game. Myself and Rooty should have seen it home. We’re gutted.”