Azeem Rafiq accepts that Yorkshire’s Friends Life t20 fate is now out of their hands after a damaging defeat to Nottinghamshire at Headingley today.

This 25-run reverse was their 20-over campaign in a nutshell. They played well in parts but ultimately did not have enough when push came to shove.

They did well to restrict the visitors to 155-8 after the new North Division leaders had been 99-3 in the 14th over, with a spell of 1-14 from Rich Pyrah crucial.

But after reaching 75-1 midway through the 11th over of their reply, thanks to a 67-run stand for the second wicket between Joe Sayers and Dan Hodgson, they lost their way against the twin spin threat of Samit Patel and Graeme White.

The left-arm pair returned combined figures of 4-37 from eight as Yorkshire finished with 130-6.

It now means Yorkshire are four points off an automatic qualifying place with three matches to play. The have to win all three and hope other results go their way.

“Even if we win the last three, it's still going to be difficult,” said off-spinner Rafiq, who stood in for the rested Andrew Gale.

“We've got a lot of pride to play for. We've now got Lancashire, and you don't need something resting on it to know how big that game is. We've got three games to go and we'll give them everything.

“If by Sunday we've managed to get through, that's brilliant. If not, we've got to concentrate on the rest of the season in other forms and work harder.”

David Hussey top-scored for Notts with 52no, although they too found run-scoring tough against the likes of Pyrah, Liam Plunkett and Rafiq, who both added two wickets.

Their best stand was 42 in 4.3 overs for the fourth wicket, and they found a way to get up to a defendable score.

The loss of Andrew Hodd and Gary Ballance to White and Patel with successive deliveries at the end of the 16th and start of the 17th overs, leaving the score at 104-5, really hampered Yorkshire as the rate escalated.