Yorkshire are on their way to South Africa for October’s lucrative Champions League event – and Jonny Bairstow cannot wait.

England’s Bradford-born star led the White Rose into last night’s Friends Life t20 final at Cardiff with a man-of-the-match 68 not out against Sussex, securing their place among the world’s top teams.

It has also forced Steve Patterson to postpone getting married for a month until November.

Yorkshire have to go through a three-day qualifying event in between October 9 and 11, but could then come up against former team-mates Jacques Rudolph (Titans) and Mitchell Starc (Sydney Sixers) in the main draw.

The best team from the two three-team qualifying pools advances to the ten-team main event, for which each side gets an automatic US$500,000 participation fee. The winner’s cheque is $2.5m.

“It’s obviously massive,” said Bairstow. “It’s financially lucrative for Yorkshire and it will be very good for us as young lads.

“It’s another experience and another place that we get to go to. It’s good for every single one of us to hone our skills against the best players in the world.

“We’ll be going out there with our heads held high to take on whoever’s standing in front of us.”

It is thought that the majority of any prize money gained by Yorkshire will go directly to the players.

Yorkshire’s opponents in the qualifying competition, to be played in Johannesburg and Centurion, will be two from either Trinidad and Tobago, Auckland Aces, Sialkot Stallions or the winners of the ongoing Sri Lankan Premier League. They cannot face Hampshire.

David Miller hopes to persuade his South African franchise, the Dolphins, to let him play.