YORKSHIRE slumped to their third-successive defeat in the NatWest T20 Blast after Northants Steelbacks cruised to an eight-wicket victory in a rain-hit encounter at Headingley.

Already reduced to 14 overs a side by weather delays, a further interruption took another two overs off each side’s allocation and in seamer-friendly conditions, Yorkshire’s powerful side were outplayed.

It has left them struggling near the bottom of the Northern Group and with little margin for error if they want to qualify for the latter stages of the competition – one of their main objectives at the start of the season.

Put into bat in cloudy conditions, Yorkshire never recovered from losing their top three in the first four overs and struggled to 82-7 in 12 overs, an innings which included 29 dot balls.

By contrast, Northants cruised to their victory target with 26 balls to spare with Richard Levi hammering 35 off 21 balls and Ben Duckett finishing unbeaten on 31 off 13 balls, including three fours and two sixes.

“It was one of those things with Duckworth Lewis getting involved,” said Yorkshire captain Andrew Gale. “We wanted to be really positive coming out of the blocks but we know what Headingley’s like with a bit of cloud cover and when it’s a bit damp and it seamed around.

“I felt there was a lot in the toss, but I’ve said to the lads, let’s not over analyse it. We’ve trained really well, so let’s put it behind us and move on.”

Boosted by the return of Aaron Finch after over a month out with hamstring trouble sustained in the IPL, Yorkshire’s line-up also included fellow Australian Glenn Maxwell and England trio Gary Ballance, Jonny Bairstow and Tim Bresnan.

But having shuffled the order to allow Australian T20 captain Finch to open alongside Maxwell, his former housemate in Melbourne, the gamble failed.

Finch chipping Ollie Stone’s slower ball to mid-wicket in the second over, Maxwell driving to cover in the next over, while Gale pulled to mid-wicket in the fifth.

Bairstow helped to retrieve the situation and top-scored with 23 off 16 balls, but his dismissal – caught in the deep – prompted the loss of three wickets off as many balls without a run being added.

Ballance also fell in the deep to the first ball of the next over from Shahid Afridi, whose quicker ball won an lbw decision against Jack Leaning with his next delivery.

It left Yorkshire short of runs and only an outstanding bowling display could have salvaged the situation. Bresnan had Josh Cobb caught at second slip off the seventh ball of Northants’ reply, but Levi quickly took the game away.

He was dropped in the deep by Ballance on 26 but the 18 runs he took off Steve Patterson off the fourth over all but sealed victory and despite falling lbw to James Middlebrook, playing against his former county, Duckett continued to beat the infield with his aggressive strokeplay to condemn Yorkshire to another telling defeat.