Bairstow scores century but gives England injury scare in win over Worcestershire

Bairstow scored 112 runs from just 51 balls but required a runner - Adam Lyth - for the latter stages of his innings after injuring his ankle

Headingley: Yorkshire Vikings 216-6, Worcestershire Rapids 122-9 - Yorkshire won by 94 runs

Scorecard

Jonny Bairstow gave England a major T20 injury scare on his way to scoring a memorable hundred for Yorkshire Vikings in their 94-run Vitality Blast success over Worcestershire Rapids at New Road.

The wicketkeeper-batsman raced to three figures off 48 balls with eight sixes and seven fours as the Vikings amassed 216 for 6 after being put into bat.

But he needed a runner for the second half of his innings after slumping to the ground on the completion of a single off Charlie Morris with a suspected ankle injury.

Bairstow was able to continue with strapping after a lengthy delay, and Adam Lyth acting as a runner, although it did not reduce his hitting power after he resumed on 56.

He went onto make 112 from 51 balls before holing out to Riki Wessels at long on off Morris. But Bairstow was unable to keep wicket with Tom Kohler-Cadmore, who helped him put on 146 in 12 overs for the third wicket, taking over behind the stumps.

It will be a worry to England ahead of the T20 Series against Sri Lanka in which Bairstow would be a certainty to open the batting.

He was able to watch the Rapids lose their last seven wickets for 12 runs.

The Vikings were put into bat and Dillon Pennington held onto a return catch to dismiss Lyth on two.

It became 10 for 2 when Ben Dwarshuis bowled Dawid Malan – also for two – in the next over when he dragged a delivery onto his stumps.

Bairstow changed his bat after taking 10 deliveries to score just five runs - and promptly smashed the next delivery from Dwarshuis over the mid wicket boundary. He then hit England team-mate Moeen Ali for sixes over long on and long off in an over costing 19 runs to set the tone for the remainder of the innings.

Former Worcestershire batsman Kohler-Cadmore, also scored freely against some wayward bowling with only Ben Dwarshuis (4 for 31) stemming the tide. He brought up a 32-ball fifty before holing out to long on from Dwarhuis’ next delivery.

It was one of four catches in that area by Riki Wessels including that of Bairstow whose superb knock was ended by Charlie Morris after hitting 10 sixes and seven fours.

Rapids opener Brett D’Oliveira (0) played on in David Willey’s first over but Moeen looked in decent touch.

He collected two fours in an over from Lockie Ferguson and then turned the same bowler around the corner for six to fine leg.

Moeen made 39 off 29 balls before slicing Adil Rashid (3 for 32) to backward point after adding 67 with Wessels who was caught off a top edge by Kohler-Cadmore from the same bowler.

Matthew Fisher and Dom Bess (2 for 30) both picked up two wickets in an over as the innings subsided rapid.