YORKSHIRE’S aims are two-fold heading into tomorrow's Vitality Blast clash with champions and North Group leaders Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.

The Vikings, second in the table on 15 points from 11 games - two adrift of the Outlaws - are already very likely qualifiers for their first quarter-final since 2016.

But they don’t want to leave anything to chance.

They are also targeting an improvement in away form given that if success is to come in this season’s Blast, every game from now will be played away from fortress Emerald Headingley.

Friday's fixture (6.30pm) against the Outlaws is the first of three remaining group games, all away from home - Lancashire and Derbyshire follow next Saturday and Sunday.

Yorkshire would then be unable to play a home quarter-final at Headingley between August 24 and 27 - should they earn that right with a top-two finish in the group - because of a clash with the England v India Test match.

Finals day is then scheduled for Edgbaston on September 18.

Yorkshire have only won one of four away games in the 2021 Blast - against Worcestershire at New Road on the back of a scintillating century from Jonny Bairstow.

In comparison, they are unbeaten at Headingley, having won six of seven games with the other a rainy no result against Durham.

“Our record away from home is poor, there’s no doubt about it. It’s because we don’t adapt to different pitches,” said coach Andrew Gale.

“We’ve worked on this since January in the East Stand.

“We’ve had different mats down to replicate different styles of pitches and have re-enacted games. You know, ‘If we get on this pitch away from home, how are we going to play?’

“When we don’t do it out there, it does frustrate me. But, let’s be honest, we’re a little bit inexperienced.

“Joe Root may be back for the last couple of T20s, and he makes a massive difference because he reads the pitch well.”

Yorkshire head into Friday against a Notts side who have also won seven of 11 games but are ahead having tied against Worcestershire, Lancashire and Derbyshire.

They will be without Jake Ball and Ben Duckett, who have been called into England’s brand-new one-day international squad for the Pakistan series following the coronavirus complications of earlier in the week.

Yorkshire will arrive in the East Midlands in buoyant mood having won their last Blast match against Lancashire at Headingley last Friday night.

Defending 180, Yorkshire were given a scare as their rivals recovered from 70-4 to get it down to 10 needed off the last three balls before Lockie Ferguson’s hat-trick.