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Rudolph and Gale behind Yorkshire fightback
YORKSHIRE'S top order owed the team a few runs and yesterday, the specialist batsmen delivered. Their scorecard from The Oval has a much more robust look to it than has been the case of late.
In their previous two Championship matches, Yorkshire had either been bailed out by their strong lower middle-order, or not bailed out by them. Either way, the top six needed bailing. In 24 innings between them, against Nottinghamshire and Durham, they mustered just one score of 50 or more.
Here, there was solidity where last week there had been brittleness. There were partnerships, entities that had barely been seen in a month.
Jacques Rudolph, stranded on 99 last night, and Andrew Gale have made 169 together for the fourth wicket, helping Yorkshire to reach 292-3 at the close; Adam Lyth and Anthony McGrath put on 79 for the second wicket.
Admittedly, Yorkshire were operating on a batting-friendly surface against one of county cricket's less venomous seam attacks, but they were replying to Surrey's imposing total of 466-8 declared.
Even in benign conditions, the knowledge that the follow-on is 317 runs away can induce a collapse, especially with Joe Sayers, Lyth, McGrath and Gerard Brophy all short of runs this season.
Also, Surrey's ranks did include off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq, whose 5-74 at Hampshire last week was a reminder that he remains one of the best spinners around.
Yorkshire's effort was commendable. As so often in the last few years, they made a poor start. Faced with a tricky six overs before lunch following Surrey's declaration, they negotiated five and a half of them with minimal discomfort, but lost Joe Sayers lbw to Pedro Collins's inswinger three balls before lunch.
Sayers had again played competently and confidently, but his highest score in 17 Championship innings is just 22.
McGrath decided to hit his way out of his mini-slump and hit 11 boundaries in his belligerent 54, which came off just 64 balls. He drove, pulled and cut with muscular authority and it was a surprise when he missed a full ball from Collins and was lbw.
Lyth was circumspect, as one would expect of a novice who made just seven runs over two innings on his Championship debut at the Riverside last week. Two early full-tosses were eased for twos, rather than belted for boundaries.
However, the 20-year-old showed his ability with three extravagant drives through extra-cover and a glorious on-drive. On a couple of occasions, he pulled the ball through mid-on. He batted sensibly and deserved a half-century that was denied him when he edged an expansive drive at Saqlain and was caught at slip. He had made 40. The indications are that big scores will come.
Yorkshire were in a spot of bother at 123-3 and it could have been worse had Mark Butcher held a difficult chance from Gale at slip off Saqlain.
Gale responded with consecutive cover-drives for four off the Pakistani and although he grew skittish as he neared his half-century, this has been a mature innings from a young left-hander who is beginning to make himself a fixture in the XI.
Rudolph was the most impressive of all. Always calm, he has shots all around the wicket and a sound judgment of when to play them. He attacked Saqlain off front-foot and back-foot, with his driving through extra cover particularly impressive.
He survived a low edge to the slips when on 75, and Usman Afzaal was convinced that he had him caught at short-leg off bat and pad in the last over of the day – when the umpire was unmoved, the part-time spinner flung the ball to the ground in a fit of pique. Rudolph, implacable, smashed the next ball three feet over the bowler's head for four.
In the morning, Mark Butcher moved to his double century before pulling Tim Bresnan straight to short mid-wicket. Fellow overnight centurion Matt Nicholson had bludgeoned another 30 runs when he was bowled, aiming a big heave at Bresnan.
Rana Naved-ul-Hasan had been wicketless on a rather tepid first day in Yorkshire colours, but yesterday he looked more like the bowler who terrorised county batsman for Sussex.
Sharp and aggressive, his yorker was far too quick for Jimmy Ormond. Surrey soon declared. Yorkshire need Rana firing on all cylinders as much as they needed their top order to revive.
Display of the day
Jacques Rudolph: Yorkshire's best batsman last season, and their most productive this year.
Always unruffled, his unbeaten 99 has so far occupied 162 balls and he has struck 15 fours. His drives through extra cover are things of beauty.
Keep checking the website for updates from the Oval.
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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