Alex Lees Column: New boy Willey is hitting form at the right time

We were bottom of the table with one win from our first six games, but I always felt there were signs of improvement in our play.

I even thought that was the case during our Duckworth-Lewis defeat against Durham at the Riverside last month, when we bowled really well in defence of 135.

But the only reason I was sceptical that we'd qualify was because everything seemed to be going against us. I thought we'd have won that game had it gone its full course.

As it's unfolded, we've played the same kind of cricket to how we did that game and things have turned. We've got six wins on the board, and five since that night.

We've obviously got work to do to qualify, but we're playing brilliant cricket at the right time in the competition.

If we can get a result at Northants on Friday and qualify, I don't there will be many teams in the country who will want to play us at the minute.

It's important that we take our T20 stuff into our one-day stuff this week to keep the momentum and brand of cricket that we've been playing rolling.

We've still got a good chance of winning all three competitions, which is a great position to be in.

The two T20 wins last week were unbelievable.

We got our highest-ever score against Durham on Wednesday and backed it up with 200 and odd against Northants on Friday.

The bowlers have also backed it up. We've kept taking wickets and got the rewards we've deserved.

The big thing for us is that one of the top four has got a big score.

It was Adam Lyth on Wednesday and Dave Willey on Friday. The other batters down the order are chipping in with valuable contributions too.

It's great to see Dave coming into some good form at just the right time, with him scoring 32 and 74 in his last two T20 matches.

The first half of the season will have been a touch frustrating for him for one reason or another.

He's obviously not performed as well as he'd like, but he's starting to perform when it matters.

It's a different challenge coming into a new dressing room, different ground, different expectations. All those sorts of things are things a player has to deal with when they move clubs.

I think he found it tough at Headingley early on. The wickets at our place are a bit different to what they are at Northants.

The weather early on dictated the pitch conditions, and it seamed around a bit even in the T20s, which is tough for anybody to adapt to.

But it should make him a better cricketer.

The last two games he's scored valuable runs to get us off to a great start.

He's a character is Dave. He's pretty black and white like his dad Peter. He doesn't hide behind poor performances or find excuses. He has a great work ethic and backs his method and what he does.

We're looking forward to some more performances from him over the next couple of months.

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The England v Pakistan Test series has already been fascinating, and hopefully it boil up to a great conclusion.

England have played exceptionally in the ongoing Test at Old Trafford, with Rooty showing why he's one of the top three batsmen in the world with his 254.

It was also nice for Jonny to back it up with 58 and continue his good form.

Bowling-wise, I would rate Pakistan as one of the best attacks to come to England in recent years. They have some exciting bowlers in their side.

But I think they could be undone with their batting. That's where I see England having some joy.

They rely heavily on Mohammad Hafeez, Younis Khan and Misbah, and if we can get them out early, we'll cause them problems.

* Alex and his sponsors Pennine Business Partners are aiming to Hit Cancer for Six in 2016. They are donating £10 to the Laura Crane Youth Cancer Trust every time Alex hits a six or takes a catch, and are asking cricket lovers everywhere to support this great cause that provides special care and support to young people fighting cancer. Visit Pennine Business Partners page on Just Giving https://www.justgiving.com/Pennine-Business-Partners