YORKSHIRE smashed their third 200 plus score of this NatWest T20 Blast season against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge – and lost by five wickets with as many balls remaining.

The Vikings, rained off at Birmingham on Friday, posted 223-5 to add to previous scores of 227-5 and 233-6 against Notts and Worcestershire at Headingley earlier this month.

But it was reeled in by a powerful Outlaws top order, led by England opener Alex Hales with a brilliant 101 off 47 balls, including 14 fours and four sixes.

In-form David Willey only posted two after the visitors had been invited to bat, but Adam Lyth hit 59 off 30 balls and was backed up by a series of notable contributions, including a 28-ball 47 for Shaun Marsh.

Notts then chase down the runs in stunning fashion to hand Yorkshire their second defeat from nine North Group matches, although the Vikings are still well placed to reach the quarter-finals with five matches to play.

Yorkshire are still to win on the road this season following two defeats, a tie and two No Results.

Openers Lyth and Tom Kohler-Cadmore hammered 83 runs off the power play, with the latter hitting three of 10 sixes in the innings in 37 off 18 balls.

Australian Peter Handscomb added 31 off 17 in his final appearance for the White Rose county this season, while Jack Leaning hit 28 not out off 16 at the end.

Notts improved as the innings went on, with left-arm spinner Samit Patel claiming 3-28 from four overs, but they erred with their lines too often early on.

If you thought Yorkshire’s batting was special, then Notts topped it on a belter of a pitch.

Twenty five runs came off Willey’s second over with the new ball as the Outlaws reached 53-0 after 3.1 thanks to openers Hales and Riki Wessels, who went on to share 78 in 5.4 overs for the first wicket.

Notts posted 91-1 after six overs, including Azeem Rafiq getting Wessels caught at long-on with a full toss for 34.

Willey then ran out Tom Moores with a stunning piece of boundary fielding in the seventh over as he slid around the deep mid-wicket boundary and threw down the stumps at the non-striker’s end as the score fell to 94-2.

Unfortunately, Hales, who reached 50 off 18 balls, was joined by Zimbabwean Brendan Taylor (41), and they shared 83 inside eight overs.

When the pair fell in the space of nine balls in the 14th and 15th overs to Willey and Adil Rashid, Notts were 184-4 after 15.5 overs, needing 40 more.

The game was back in the balance.

But, with 35 needed off 18 balls, Australian Dan Christian smashed the first three balls of the 18th over from Willey for six to change things.

Notts took the target down to five off the last over, and Steven Mullaney hit Tim Bresnan for a straight six to win it.

Yorkshire’s tenth match of the season comes against fellow contenders Derbyshire at Headingley on Thursday night, starting at 6.30pm.

Meanwhile, Gary Ballance was present at Trent Bridge ahead of a second specialist’s appointment with his fractured finger. He is expected to be out of action for another two to three weeks.