ADAM LYTH led the way with 87 off 54 balls as Yorkshire's record Twenty20 score of 223 for six powered them to a 49-run against Durham at Headingley last night.

Yorkshire went into the match next to the bottom of the NatWest T20 Blast's northern group, while Durham were third. But the result opens the possibility of both qualifying for the quarter-finals.

Yorkshire will need to win their two remaining games, both against Northamptonshire, who could be denied a top four spot if Durham win their home games against Lancashire and Derbyshire.

It was more important for Yorkshire to win than Durham, who declined to risk Paul Collingwood and rested Paul Coughlin.

The exertions of the championship win against Lancashire took their toll as Yorkshire were much sharper in the field and held their catches.

They chose to bat on a pitch which was clearly full of runs and after taking six off Chris Rushworth's opening over Adam Lyth and David Willey switched straight into overdrive.

Durham brought in Jamie Harrison and Usman Arshad, who conceded 16 each off the second and third overs.

Arshad began this campaign with a reputation as a skilful T20 bowler and did well early on, taking three for 30 in the win at Old Trafford.

But being in and out of the side can have done little for his confidence and after Jack Leaning hit him for three leg-side sixes in the 18th over he finished with none for 63.

One of his wides, resulting from an attempt to bowl a slow floater, was so far outside off stump Phil Mustard had no option but to watch it go past to the boundary.

Arshad's analysis equalled the worst in T20 cricket for Durham, recorded in this season's first match at Worcester by Barry McCarthy. The hosts' total that night of 225 for six remains the highest against Durham.

The extra pace of Liam Plunkett, whose first two overs cost four runs, underlined that bowlers like Harrison and Arshad are at a disadvantage in T20. It is better to bowl even slower like Keaton Jennings, who was hit for four and six by Travis Head in his last over but still had respectable figures of 4-0-32-1.

Durham initially appeared to have decided on a leg-stump line with two men out on the leg side, but the batsmen soon began to create room to hit through the off side.

Lyth was fortunate to edge his first big shot off Harrison, but then middled a lofted straight drive and followed up with an upper cut for a third four.

Willey then clubbed Arshad for two fours and a straight six before, on 21, he sent a Rushworth delivery almost vertically into the stratosphere and Mustard was unable to hang on.

At 53 after four overs Durham turned to Ryan Pringle and Willey drove his third ball over long-off for a huge six to reach 32 off 13 balls. But he then miscued another big hit for Michael Richardson to hold a good catch.

With 77 on the board after the six powerplay overs there seemed no need to improvise, but Alex Lees departed for five when he paddle-swept Keaton Jennings into his stumps.

Head then showed his brute power as he and Lyth put on 83 in 8.5 overs before the Australian hit a towering shot off Harrison to Gordon Muchall at long-on.

Lyth slog-swept two of his three sixes off the spinners in reaching 50 off 38 balls and he continued the onslaught with Leaning, whose 32 came off only 11 balls.

A century looked certain for Lyth until he holed out at long-off in the 17th over off Rushworth, giving Richardson one of his three catches.

Durham's reply began with Mustard and Mark Stoneman taking two fours each of Tim Bresnan's opening over.

But once Stoneman had chipped Willey to mid-on batsmen came and went. Muchall had three sweet sixes in his 25 off 14 balls and Richardson also cleared the rope.

But it was a hopeless task by the time Arshad went in at 114 for seven and made the top score of 43 off 29 balls before falling in the last over, Durham finishing on 174 for eight.