Yorkshire improve but face a daunting challenge
SCIENTISTS estimate that every second since the Big Bang, a star the size of our sun burns out and goes to heat death.
That means that more than 11 million stars in the universe have completely disappeared, gone to nothing, since Yorkshire’s previous County Championship game at Emerald Headingley, which was way back on April 23 when they beat Notts by 164 runs.
A mere 128 days on from that match, four-day cricket returned to the ground yesterday, Somerset scoring 374-8 after being sent in to bat.
So much has changed since that Notts game, in fact, that almost all of the new stand at the rugby end of the ground has been built ahead of its opening next year, a stand from which workmen occasionally watched yesterday in between putting the latest touches to the multi-million project.
Since that match too, York- shire’s star has waned while that of Somerset has contrastingly risen.
Yorkshire went into this game third-bottom of the First Division, one place and five points above the relegation zone, while Somerset arrived in second place, 32 points behind a Surrey side they harbour hopes of catching still.
To do so, they could certainly do with victory here, while Yorkshire need points for different reasons.
Just as important, after last week’s innings defeat to then-bottom club Worcestershire at Scarborough, Yorkshire needed to deliver a response, a demonstration through actions, not simply words, of how much that result hurt them.
To that effect, as summer reared its head once again, with the ground bathed in glorious late-August sunshine, the commitment, for sure, could not be faulted.
The bowlers ran in all day, spearheaded by Jack Brooks, who is joining Somerset at the end of the season and who displayed his commitment to doing the best that he possibly can before then by taking 4-103 from 25 overs, supported by acting captain David Willey, who returned 2-66 from 23.
Fielders chased and competed for everything, the only real blemishes being a tricky-ish dropped catch in the afternoon when Matthew Fisher spilled James Hildreth running back over his shoulder at square-leg off Brooks when the batsman had 75 of his 81 runs, and a more culpable miss in the evening when Josh Shaw grassed Lewis Gregory on 45 at deep cover off Harry Brook.
But there was more vitality, perhaps, than at Scarborough last week, where there felt a certain inevitability about events and, said some, the destiny of the season.
In initially overcast conditions, Yorkshire chose to bowl on a good-looking pitch, hoping to exploit the assistance on offer.
This they did well in the early stages, reducing Somerset to 5-2 inside eight overs as they found plenty of bounce and enough movement.
Brooks had Ed Byrom caught behind by Andrew Hodd, who was recalled from the second team game at Taunton after first-choice wicketkeeper Jonny Tattersall suffered a back spasm; then Willey had Marcus Trescothick caught at second slip by Adam Lyth, the former England man getting a thick edge as he dabbled at one outside off stump.
But as the sun came out, with conditions steadily improving, so Somerset recovered with similar lustre.
Hildreth and Azhar Ali, the former Pakistan captain, added 137 for the second wicket, a partnership that endured until the 11th over after lunch.
Hildreth, who averaged a mere 13.8 in first-class cricket at Headingley going into the game, went on to his highest Championship score there, his 81 comprising 100 balls and including 15 fours.
It was a fine performance, Hildreth pulling and driving with particular flourish, while Azhar played in a not dissimilar manner to double centurion Moeen Ali at Scarborough last week in that he reined himself in and only hit the balls that asked to be hit.
After Hildreth was third out with the total on 142, caught at first slip by Tom Kohler-Cadmore off a ball from Willey that slanted across him, Azhar reached a patient half-century from 118 deliveries.
Somerset slipped to 170-4 when Brooks had Tom Abell caught behind, rather defending on the walk to a ball that left him, and the score at tea stood at 2054, an impressive riposte to those early setbacks.
Shaw then bowled Azhar as he tried to work him to leg, Azhar striking 89 from 178 balls with 12 fours, but from 229-5 Somerset rebuilt again through Steven Davies and Gregory, the latter setting the template for a rollocking innings when he lofted his second ball for a straight six off Lyth.
The sixth-wicket pair plundered 114 in 17.1 overs before Gregory hit Brooks to New Zealander Kane Williamson at deep mid-wicket, Gregory smashing 65 from 46 balls with nine fours and three sixes.
Brooks captured his fourth wicket three balls later when Davies drove to cover, his 80 coming from 122 balls with 13 fours, and Shaw claimed his second just before stumps when Craig Overton chased after a wide one and was caught behind.
JOE ROOT faces a test of his manmanagement skills after England made two more uncompromising calls at a critical stage of the Specsavers series against India.
It is only 12 days since Root had to tell Sam Curran he was being dropped – two Tests after his breakthrough man-of-the-match performance at Edgbaston – to make way for the returning Ben Stokes.
This time, after India’s 203run win at Trent Bridge made it 2-1 with two to play, Root had to inform Jonny Bairstow he will not be keeping wicket in Southampton and Ollie Pope that he is dropped, two Tests into his career, to allow Moeen Ali’s recall.
Bairstow had hoped to retain the gloves, despite his broken finger, but he will play as a specialist batsman in Pope’s No 4 position, with Jos Buttler behind the stumps.
Root declined a straight answer to the question of whether Bairstow himself thought his finger had recovered sufficiently to keep wicket. “It was a medical call,” he said. “He will be disappointed. But ultimately we’ve got to make sure we do the best thing for this team to win this game – and we believe Jos is the right man to do it this time around.”
In contrast to India, set to name an unchanged team for the first time in 46 Tests, England have made two direct changes of personnel and several others of deployment.
They will not risk Chris Woakes’ thigh injury, with Curran back in his place – and as well as all-rounder Moeen’s presence at the expense of Pope, a misfiring slip cordon has a retro look as the captain and Stokes rejoin Alastair Cook.
Bairstow made it clear 24 hours earlier that he was still “desperate” to keep wicket here.
But Root said: “With a slight fracture, it’s the safest thing to do for Jonny to play just as a batsman.
“He’s fully aware that it’s a lot to ask him to keep with a broken finger ... well, a slight crack in it.
“He’s obviously frustrated and disappointed.
“He loves doing the job, (and) he’s done extremely well over the last couple of years.
“But that’s part of international sport – you don’t always get what you want.”
Neither is there any reassurance for Bairstow from his fellow Yorkshireman that he will be back as wicketkeeper at the Oval next week, or any time soon.
“There are no guarantees in international sport,” said Root.
“It has opened the door for someone else. We’re very fortunate to have two fantastic options in Jos and Jonny.
“I hope this is a great chance for these two guys to keep pushing each other to improve and take their games to the next level.”
Bairstow’s move up the order comes after Pope’s 54 runs in his three attempts so far – but Root explains the 20-year-old’s absence has more to do with the need for Moeen’s off-spin while all-rounder Stokes is still nursing knee trouble.
“The thinking is purely for balance of the side, and to make sure we have plenty of options for bowling, with Ben not potentially being able to bowl his normal workload,” he said.
“It is no reflection on how (Ollie) has gone in the first two games. I think he is a very good player who has a lot of promise.
“We could get to the Oval and it be very different again.
“That is part and parcel of being a part of a squad over a fivematch series.”
As ever with a Test match there is an intriguing subplot, and that comes at the other side of the ball for England.
James Anderson has the chance this week against India to break Glenn McGrath’s record of 563 Test wickets by a fast bowler.
The Lancashire paceman needs just six wickets to eclipse the great Australian quick.