The view of Shane Warne that bowlers, not batsmen, win Twenty20 matches gained credence in a manner that would impress the great Australian as he embarks on poker commitments in Las Vegas today. Yorkshire's hero in securing a quarter-final place was not just any bowler, but a member of the wrist-spin brethren in Adil Rashid.

Until last night, Rashid, the England Lions all-rounder, had taken only three wickets in seven Twenty20s in his career. He more than doubled his tally of victims last night, claiming figures of four for 24 as reward for giving his leg-break a genuine loop and rip off a dry, helpful surface.

The pick of his wickets was that of Adam Voges, an Australia one-day international who was stumped attempting to push for a single. Mark Ealham was also stumped, but this time trying to drive high and straight.

Andrew Gale and Gerard Brophy made big inroads into the target of 137 with an opening stand of 99 in 83 balls and Brophy completed a 38-ball half-century before Anthony McGrath supervised the final charge. Victory arrived with 12 balls to spare, leaving Yorkshire one game away from their first finals day.

So, as it transpired, they did not require the services of Michael Vaughan, who netted at the National Cricket Centre in Loughborough after being told by England to rest from the competitive game. “I would not say it was easy, but it helped to make a good start,” Brophy said.

In Vaughan's stead came Azeem Rafiq, a 17-year-old off-spin bowler so unfamiliar to Darren Gough that the Yorkshire captain was unaware of his first name. “We just know him as Rafa,” Gough explained. Rafiq, making his first appearance for the county in any competition, actually hails from Gough's home town of Barnsley.

He was soon involved in potential controversy. Voges, on 13, appeared to be run out by a distance, only for Mike Harris, the third umpire, to rule that Rafiq had broken the stumps with a hand. Television replays suggested that Harris had made a very brave call and Voges, for one, was surprised at the reprieve.

Voges proceeded to top-score with 39 from 28 balls, but the innings stalled after the loss of Chris Cairns from 99 for three in the thirteenth over to 121 for seven after 19. Even three fours by Chris Read in the final over from Gough could not lift the total towards a defendable level.

Nottinghamshire

W I Jefferson c Rashid b Bresnan 19

M J Wood b Hoggard 10

A C Voges st Brophy b Rashid 39

S R Patel c Bresnan b Rashid 18

C L Cairns lbw b Rashid 9

*C M W Read run out 31

M A Ealham st Brophy b Rashid 3

A R Adams c McGrath b Gough 0

P J Franks not out 2

Extras (lb 2, w 3) 5

Total (8 wkts, 20 overs) 136

D J Pattinson and R S Ferley did not bat.

Fall of wickets: 1-30, 2-32, 3-76, 4-99, 5-106, 6-114, 7-117, 8-136.

Bowling: Bresnan 4-0-20-1; Hoggard 3-0-25-1; Rafiq 2-0-18-0; Pyrah 3-0-18-0; Rashid 4-0-24-4; Gough 4-0-29-1.

Yorkshire

A W Gale c Jefferson b Ferley 45

G L Brophy not out 57

A McGrath not out 30

Extras (lb 5) 5

Total (1 wkt, 18 overs) 137

A U Rashid, J A Rudolph, Azeem Rafiq, T T Bresnan, S M Guy, R M Pyrah, *D Gough and M J Hoggard did not bat.

Fall of wicket: 1-99.

Bowling: Adams 3-0-28-0; Pattinson 3-0-16-0; Ealham 2-0-16-0; Ferley 4-0-33-1; Patel 5-0-31-0; Voges 1-0-8-0.

Umpires: S A Garratt and T E Jesty.