Off-spinner Azeem Rafiq starred with both ball and bat on his return to Yorkshire colours to help clinch a heart-stopping Friends Life t20 win over Lancashire at Old Trafford tonight.

The 20-year-old has recently returned to White Rose ranks after a successful month’s loan at Derbyshire.

And with conditions at Old Trafford proving to be slow and low, he was picked alongside Adil Rashid and David Wainwright by Andrew Gale, who invited the hosts to bat first.

Rafiq claimed a career best 3-15 from four overs as the hosts slumped to 62-6 in the 13th over and could only post 122-6.

He was then forced to do the bulk of the work as ten runs were needed off the last over following a Yorkshire collapse.

Rafiq scooped Tom Smith for two boundaries to secure a second successive win with two balls and two wickets to spare, finishing 11 not out off four balls.

Lancashire have impressed in this competition mainly due to the success of combining twirlers Gary Keedy, Simon Kerrigan, Stephen Parry and part-timer Steven Croft.

But from the moment Rashid trapped a reverse-sweeping Smith lbw two balls in, they were struggling.

In the end, despite three wickets for Luke Procter, not even a seventh-wicket stand of 60 from 43 balls between Karl Brown and Procter could save them.

Rashid (2-29) also had Croft caught at long-on to leave the score at 22-2 in the fifth over – and things got better at a rapid rate for the visitors.

Rafiq, coming on with the score at 41-2 in the eighth over, struck after five balls, getting Paul Horton – also reverse-sweeping – caught at deep point.

He also yorked Gareth Cross and had Jordan Clark caught in the deep.

When Stephen Moore was run out for 34, Lancashire were in real bother in the 13th over. But both Brown and Procter hit sixes to boost the total.

Yorkshire lost Gale and Jonny Bairstow within the first five overs of their chase, both to the seam of Smith, leaving the score at 34-2.

Adam Lyth and Anthony McGrath shared 37 for the third wicket to take the score to 71-2 in the 12th over. But that was when the drama started.

Lyth was bowled by Keedy, before Procter got McGrath and Gerard Brophy in the space of two balls and later added the wicket of Gary Ballance.

Rich Pyrah and Rashid were both run out, leaving Yorkshire needing ten off six balls and Rafiq duly obliged.

The Tykes next host Northamptonshire at Headingley on Sunday (1.10pm).