Centurions Deserved Elusive Victory

Lucky old Somerset have had the supreme good fortune to escape with two draws in County Championship engagements with Yorkshire within the last weather-interrupted month. Mind you, Andrew Gale has been equally fortunate [or perhaps talented] at winning the toss, thereby enabling Yorkshire to bat first and remind Somerset and tout le monde just how capable we are at batting. 

The heroes of the occasion were none other than Adam Lyth (who secured his first century of the season) and almost predictably Adil Rashid (who recorded his third ton in three consecutive matches). Clearly Adil is no flash in the pan and his red-hot batting average must be catching the eye of the national selectors, even if his spin bowling is still playing catch up. Where once we would all have gladly described Rashid as a bowler who can also bat a bit, he can now well and truly be filed under 'batsman who can also bowl a bit'! He has to be taken seriously as a candidate for the perennial hot potato of number six batsman for the national team, although perhaps the forthcoming Ashes series may be a difficult outing for any new debutants. Quite honestly, I would fancy Rashid ahead of the admirable Jonny Bairstow as a fixture in England's middle order at present, but presumably the selectors are still entertaining hopes of Compton opening the batting, Pietersen returning at quatre, and the in-form Joe Root slotting in at numero six. 

Geoffrey Boycott, el Presidente of Yorkshire CCC has been quoted as stating that Rashid claims his recent improvement in form is owed to his faith in Allah. Well, I do so wish that this Allah geezer could coach or indeed coax some runs out of the hapless Joe Sayers and the misfit, Phil Jaques. Surely, there has to be many much better overseas players er overseas at present who would far exceed Jaques in both quality and more importantly actual performance. An overseas recruit is hired to enhance a county XI but I have yet to see much evidence of this from Jaques in this summer's County Championship. We can at least be grateful that Gary Ballance and even Andrew Gale, not to overlook Mr Hodd, all contributed useful cameos to Yorkshire's latest run-scoring spree. However, my Yorkshire man of the match by a narrow margin ahead of Rashid is Mr Lyth. Adam Lyth must be looking at the rise and rise of Joe Root and thinking that could and perhaps should have been me. Lyth may yet play international cricket. His outstanding performance in this match in Taunton amounted to a century followed by an unbeaten fifty with two wickets of his own thrown in for good measure. Clearly, more of the same is demanded of the erratic Lyth. He certainly needs to take a leaf out of the book of Rashid [possibly the Koran] and also emulate Joe Root by plundering runs on a regular, as opposed to irregular basis. What of his under-achieveing playing partner, Joe Sayers. May I helpfully suggest a prolonged stint in Minor Counties cricket is the most approriate remedy for Joe who also was touted a few years ago as 'one for the future'. Sadly, we could find ourselves a few years from now still describing Mr Sayers as 'one for the future' which I would interpret as a euphemism for 'just not good enough'.

Well, for all Yorkshire's domination with the bat [a second innings top order collapse notwithstanding], the Tykes narrowly failed to enforce the follow-on, thereby killing off their faint hopes of defeating Somerset after the first day was lost. Somerset can thank their lucky stars, as well as the centurion Hildreth and the ever-reliable Trescothick, for avoiding defeat in a contest where they were a distant second, pretty much like they had been at Leeds a few weeks ago. Somerset appear to be in a rut at the moment, a fact typified by the current malaise in the batting of their star man, Mr Compton. I suppose that through the years there has probably been an occasion when the weather has intervened to rescue Yorkshire from this plucky west country bunch, so perhaps one cannot be too angry at the clouds!

Finally, before I take my tablets (sic), mention must be made of our bowling department. With Bresnan unavailable and the impressive Brooks and Plunkett and Azeem Rafiq also absent, the Tykes were required to take twenty wickets with a fairly average, not to mention threadbare attack. Moin Ashraf was a disappointment. I do like to see the Asian citizens of Yorkshire thriving in the first XI, but alas twas not to be on this occasion for the said gentleman. Patterson and Sidebottom remain as willing as ever, but perhaps we lacked the cutting edge that Jack Brooks has furnished this spring.

Oh well, onwards and upwards. I think that the white rose is now to be thrust into mortal combat with the metropolitan neighbours of Middlesex and Surrey. These skirmishes will be a big guide as to whether improving Yorkshire really can entertain hopes of County Championship glory in September. One thing is for sure, even with a depleted squad, we have come a long way since that dreadful first defeat at home to Sussex by an innings. I think that was the cricketing equivalent of someone caught napping and not yet fully awake, but happily the Yorkshire lion has long since woken from its slumber and is on the prowl!

Somerset versus YORKSHIRE; at Taunton; 28-31 May 2013; YORKSHIRE won the toss.

YORKSHIRE first innings: 450 for 5 declared (Lyth 105, Rashid 103*, Gale 75, Hodd 68*)

Somerset first innings: 310 (Hildreth 115, Trescothick 74; Ashraf 3-60, Patterson 3-65)

YORKSHIRE second innings: for 104 for 4 (Lyth 57*)

MATCH DRAWN; Somerset 6 points, YORKSHIRE 11 points