The heroics of Bradfordian Adil Rashid were not enough to stop Yorkshire slipping to the foot of the North Division in the Friends Provident T20, with Northamptonshire the beneficiaries on a dismal afternoon at Headingley.

The leggie poached three wickets to strangle the visitors’ charge after openers Lou Vincent and Chaminda Vaas had got them off to a flyer.

But Yorkshire became sloppy at the death and conceding 53 runs in the final five overs left them with too much to do when the late afternoon gloom morphed into rain and the match was settled on the Duckworth-Lewis method.

It was a battle of the bottom two but both were in upbeat mood off the back of victories – Northants the brighter when Vincent and Vaas bludgeoned 49 runs in ugly fashion after the Steelbacks had opted to bat first on winning the toss.

Vaas cue-ended a full toss from Steve Patterson to mid-on though and the hesitancy that followed allowed Rashid to control the match.

Almost exactly a calendar year ago, the 22-year-old was digesting the news of being dropped from the England 20-over team for a match against India.

But here he was displaying an improved variety, moving on to ten wickets for the campaign by making sure the Steelbacks’ middle-order did not live up to their nickname.

His quicker ball deceived Niall O’Brien and the Irishman was stumped, then Nicky Boje’s sweep went down the throat of Ajmal Shahzad and Rashid’s final ball bowled Rob White for final figures of three for 23.

Rich Pyrah played a dependable supporting role but Andrew Hall manipulated the bowling to all parts at the death and 151 for seven looked a formidable total when the clouds gathered and Yorkshire’s reply started in near darkness.

Attempting to get ahead of the par score with rain expected, Jacques Rudolph holed out to mid-on for a duck in the first over.

And despite brief, if bullying, statements of intent from Andrew Gale and Herschelle Gibbs, Yorkshire were wobbling on losing both to Jack Brooks, the medium-pacer who matched Rashid’s achievements with three wickets.

The sparse crowd had been flirting with their umbrellas for quite some time when Gerard Brophy nicked Brooks to O’Brien behind the stumps.

And that was the final ball of the match, the rain intervening with Yorkshire 51 for four – 14 behind the par score – rendering Rashid’s efforts futile.