Red Rose hit for six as Yorkshire in command
YORKSHIRE struck six times after tea on day two to leave Lancashire forlornly chasing 323 in the Roses clash at Emirates Old Trafford.
Both sides are at the wrong end of Division One in the Specsavers County Championship, so the result is of paramount importance. And it looks set to go the White Rose’s way.
Yorkshire started day two with an 83-run lead on first innings and slipped to 21 for three before Jonny Bairstow’s 82 off 67 balls led the recovery to 239 all out, also including 55 for Harry Brook and Steve Patterson’s unbeaten 45.
Lancashire started their chase immediately after tea and had 48 overs to bat, closing on 194 for six, needing 129 more.
Joe Root was caught behind for three off England Test team-mate Jimmy Anderson amidst an actionpacked start to the day. But Root later dismissed Jos Buttler for 59.
Graham Onions had Adam Lyth and Kane Williamson the same way for four and one respectively before Bairstow and Brook changed things in a flash.
They shared 133 inside 20 overs, with Brook playing confidently on both sides of the wicket. Bairstow was strong down the ground on the way to 50 off 38 balls.
The pair brought up their century stand in only 13.2 overs, but Brook fell caught behind with the first ball of the morning’s last over to Tom Bailey, strangled down the leg-side - 154 for four.
Bairstow was dropped on 22 by Matthew Parkinson at mid-on off Onions.
But he was the first of six afternoon wickets to fall as the Red Rose fought back again to limit the damage, with leg-spinner Parkinson and first-innings hat-trick hero Jordan Clark claiming two wickets apiece.
Like Brook, Gary Ballance also fell caught behind down leg off Bailey, who also finished with two-for.
Although conditions have aided bowlers all the way through, the visitors will be frustrated at losing wickets quickly at either end of their innings. But it doesn’t look like costing them.
After three for 21 at the start, they lost the last four for 28 to slip from 211 for six during the latter stages of the afternoon.
Lancashire wicketkeeper Dane Vilas, now captaining the side with Liam Livingstone out of action with a fractured left thumb, claimed six victims in the innings - five catches and a stumping.
With Livingstone unlikely to bat unless things become desperate, the hosts effectively started their second innings one down.
But Alex Davies and Jennings shared 54 inside 14 overs for the first wicket before the former was trapped lbw by Tim Bresnan for 32. Jennings fell the same way to Ben Coad shortly afterwards, and both felt there was bat involved.
Haseeb Hameed’s 31 was his highest Championship score of the season.
But, after seeing Vilas trapped lbw by on-loan leg-spinner Josh Poysden, he was the first of two caught behinds in a Patterson over as Clark also fell to leave the score at 110 for five in the 32nd.
Buttler and Tom Bailey gave Lancashire a late boost with an 80-stand.
Buttler reached 50 off 54 balls with a huge pulled six off Poysden, but he fell in the day’s penultimate over to Root’s fifth ball - caught at leg slip trying to sweep (190 for six).