LYTH ENDS HIS CENTURY WAIT
Yorkshire opener continues run of fine form against Roses rivals Lancashire
RARELY DOES a batsman slash a ball over the slip cordon to the third man boundary and then punch the air in unmitigated joy.
Adam Lyth’s reaction to reaching three figures at Headingley yesterday was revealing for the fact that it was the first time he had done so for almost two years.
Small wonder that a player who is normally renowned for his attractive strokeplay should celebrate so extravagantly perhaps the ugliest shot that he played in his innings.
But as the ball from Danny Lamb disappeared towards the rope, Lyth turned away from its course and punched the air as much in relief as anything else before taking off his helmet and raising his bat, his body language screaming: “Thank goodness for that”.
It was way back in September 2018 that Lyth – whose 103 helped Yorkshire to 260 yesterday before Lancashire reached 195-5 at stumps on day three – last made a hundred in a county game.
He did hit one against Lancashire only last month – 108 retired out in a pre-season friendly on this ground.
But pre-season friendlies are a different kettle of cricket, and not since an unbeaten 134 against Hampshire at Headingley 23 months ago had Lyth experienced such elation in a “proper” fixture.
It was his sixth Roses hundred and his fourth against the old enemy in first-class cricket to go with two against them in the one-day game; Lancashire seem to bring out the best in this excellent player.
“It was very pleasing to get to a hundred,” said Lyth. “It’s been a while and it’s been quite frustrating, to be honest.
“I’ve been trying like hell and got out quite a few times in the 80s and 90s, but thankfully I had a bit of luck and managed to get over the line, so I was really pleased with how it went personally.
“After that, I thought our bowlers bowled really well on a pretty good wicket.”
Lyth had 86 to his name when Yorkshire began the day on 178-6, the match going nowhere after 122 overs had been lost to rain during the first half of the contest.
In glorious sunshine that was a mocking precursor to the rain that is forecast to wash out the fourth and final day too, the lefthander reached three figures with successive boundaries off Danny Lamb.
First, Lyth cut the bustling seamer towards the East Stand and then came the unprepossessing swipe just over the slips.
Lyth faced 218 deliveries and hit 15 fours and two sixes for his 30th career hundred, his strikerate emphasising how well he reined himself in at times and also how well Lancashire bowled to him for long periods too.
Lyth was helped to the milestone by youngster George Hill, who contributed the secondhighest score of 29 from No 8.
Hill, 19, made his first-class debut in the previous game at home to Derbyshire, and he played some nice whips through midwicket yesterday from an upright stance that confirmed him to be a splendid prospect.
Yorkshire’s seventh-wicket pair added 55 in 18 overs before departing within two runs of each other. First, Lyth played an expansive shot at Tom Bailey and edged high to Keaton Jennings at first slip, and then Hill was bowled driving at Lamb, having held out for an hour and 19 minutes.
Lamb had Steve Patterson miscuing a pull to first slip en route to career-best figures of 4-55, and George Balderson rounded things off by having Jared Warner lbw, with an unbeaten 20 from Duanne Olivier having helped the hosts past 250 and to a second batting point.
Lancashire were 3-0 at lunch and they lost only one wicket in the afternoon session. Lyth – who else? – struck with his occasional off-spin when Jennings missed an attempted sweep and was lbw, ending an opening stand with Alex Davies of 104.
Davies, short and busy, went on to 73 before Patterson pinned him lbw, moments after Josh Bohannon had been strangled down the leg-side off Warner.
It was the 23-year-old Warner’s maiden wicket for Yorkshire in first-class cricket – he had previously taken four while on loan at Sussex – and came in a sequence in which Lancashire lost 3-8 in six overs.
Yorkshire’s catching was not at its gleaming best – a couple of chances went down in the slips – but they stuck to their task with the ball, striking twice more as Dane Vilas was lbw to Olivier from one that kept low and Rob Jones caught behind off Hill – his first first-class wicket.