Worcestershire 257 for 4 (Azhar 130) beat Northamptonshire 248 for 4 (Young 104*, Vasconcelos 70) by six wickets (DLS method)

The Pakistan veteran defied cramp to put on a batting masterclass with 17 fours and one six, treating fans who had braved a rare cold day to some booming cover drives and shots over the infield as well as some sweetly timed strokes and scoops.

Azhar has a 50-over medal to his name – for Somerset in 2019 – but there will be no repeat this summer as this was Worcestershire’s first win in Group B at the sixth attempt.

Ricardo Vasconcelos played and missed against the seaming ball but soon started to locate the boundary, scoring the lion’s share of an 84-run stand with Young. He smashed Dillon Pennington down the ground and played a sweetly timed late cut behind square off Joe Leach, but advanced to his half-century in less emphatic style, thanks to four overthrows. He looked well set for another big score after his century last week, playing a gorgeous on-drive off Ed Barnard and lifting the same bowler over the infield.

But Vasconcelos’ knock of 70 (80 balls, 10 fours) ended soon afterwards when Adam Finch got one to jag back sharply and hit the top of the stumps. Worcestershire collected their third wicket in the next over thanks to a brilliant direct hit from the deep courtesy of Gibbon which accounted for Saif Zaib and left Northamptonshire on 108 for three.

Young punched Leach down to backward point early in his innings, but did not locate the ropes again until he had reached 40. AS he accelerated, he hit over mid-on and brought out the scoop shot in a partnership worth 114 with keeper Lewis McManus.

McManus looked scratchy early on, wafting outside off-stump to a ball from Finch past a diving slip. He grew in confidence swinging high over square leg for six to bring up the century partnership off 86 balls in the penultimate over. He dispatched Pennington’s next two balls for four to reach his half-century from 47 balls before holing out in the deep. That left Young to finish the innings in style with a four and two maximums off the final over. The blaze of boundaries saw 42 runs coming off the final 12 balls.

In the chase Azhar took four boundaries off Jack White’s opening spell and reached his half-century off 55 balls, finding a willing partner in Cornall who played some nicely timed drives mixed with aggression and innovation including an uppercut over the keeper. Azhar offered one chance on 60 when a diving Sanderson put down a difficult chance in the deep but otherwise continued untroubled.

Brandon Glover made two crucial breakthroughs accounting first for Cornall who picked out mid-on after 83 balls at the crease. In Glover’s next over Gareth Roderick fell scooping as McManus ran backwards and took the catch to leave Worcestershire on 157 for two.

That was to be the last breakthrough for some time as Azhar and Libby shared a stand of 68. Azhar had to call Roderick back as a runner after suffering a hamstring injury, but unleashed a string of boundaries, pulling and cutting before clipping off his toes to bring up his century from just 78 deliveries.

The pair saw off a typically tight spell from Ben Sanderson, but with six runs an over needed off the final six, Azhar finally fell when he pulled Jack White to Vasconcelos who took a tumbling catch in the deep. Barnard skied a catch off the final over off White, but with only one run required, it was scant late consolation for Northamptonshire.