YORKSHIRE STRUGGLE WITH NEW BALL UNDER THE FLOODLIGHTS

YORKSHIRE have found the new pink ball and day-night County Championship format a little hard to get used to.

Having lost the toss and being asked to field on day one, the Tykes will have been glad when stumps arrived at 9.12pm under full floodlights.

They failed to coax any real life out of the pitch and did not enjoy as much success during the twilight period as they had expected, trying but failing to get a change of ball from the umpires.

Seamer Tim Bresnan sent down 21 overs and, although he claimed his 500th first-class wicket when Rory Burns nicked a rising delivery, he was left pining for a more familiar red cherry.

“It’s definitely harder work with the pink ball,” he said.

“The red one always keeps you in the game because you can shine it up and swing it well into the 60th over.

“With the pink one as soon as it stops swinging you’re not getting it back.

“If they can improve the ball, make it harder for longer, that would make it more interesting, or better for the bowling unit anyway.

“Once the hardness wore off it felt like a one-day game in white clothes because it was like bowling with the white ball, no swing and no real seam.”

The 32-year-old, who has recently become a father for the third time, did see some fringe benefits to the revised hours of play, which sees games get under way at 2pm.

“I’ll be doing the school run, a few jobs around the house before I come in, changing a few nappies,” he said with a smile.

“The crowd were getting into the atmosphere too, I’m sure they’d had a few beers by the end and they kept us entertained in the field.”

After a delayed start to day two they eventually found themselves chasing a demandijng total as Surrey closed on 516-7 declared.

Former England Under 19s captain Will Rhodes will move from Yorkshire to Warwickshire on a two-year contract at the end of this season.

Rhodes, 22, was a member of Yorkshire’s 2015 Specsavers County Championship-winning team and in the previous year also led England to third place in the Under 19s World Cup.