Gale underlines his true value to Yorkshire by leading from front

AS improbable as it might seem, Andrew Gale’s stock rose significantly when Middlesex beat his Yorkshire side by seven wickets at Lord’s in April after knocking off 472, the third-highest chase in Championship history.
Yorkshire's Andrew Gale on his way to a century at Scarborough yesterday.Yorkshire's Andrew Gale on his way to a century at Scarborough yesterday.
Yorkshire's Andrew Gale on his way to a century at Scarborough yesterday.

The Yorkshire captain’s decision to drop himself for that match – to accommodate the return of England’s Joe Root, who was made captain in his place – was clear evidence of a leader prepared to put the interests of the team before those of himself.

Gale was the only one of Yorkshire’s frontline batsmen who had not been scoring any runs, so Gale it was who decided to make way.

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Although scant blame could be apportioned to Root for the result, the question was inevitably asked afterwards as to whether it would have happened had Gale been in charge.

Such is the mystique attached to the role of club captain, and Gale – who has returned to play an important role in Yorkshire’s title challenge – would see his status rise further today if his side can avenge that unlikely defeat at headquarters.

By continuing his personal love affair with Scarborough, where he scored 126 not out yesterday to follow his career-best 272 not out against Nottinghamshire last summer, Gale did as much as anyone to lay the platform for a win that would send Yorkshire five points clear at the top with a quarter of the season to play.

Yorkshire go into the final day on 400-5 in their second innings, a lead of 421, and were last night mulling over when to pull out and set their bowlers loose on a Middlesex side dismissed for 232 first time around.

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That might have happened yesterday, but, mindful of the threat posed by the second new ball after tea, Gale opted to bat on to ensure a substantial lead and is confident there will be sufficient time to force a victory.

“If we’d lost three or four wickets with that new ball, we wouldn’t have been able to accelerate as we did towards the end and might have been bowled out with only a 350 lead,” said Gale, who helped thump 74 off the last nine overs.

“If that new ball hadn’t been available, it might have been different, but we could have lost wickets if we’d gone too hard. I still think there’s plenty in the pitch for us to bowl them out.

“And it’s one of those pitches where you never quite feel that you’re in.

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“The ball is still beating the bat, there’s plenty of carry, and it’s vital that we use the new ball well ourselves.”

Before 3,200 spectators on a glorious summer’s day, Gale played superbly after Yorkshire had begun the day on 29-1, a lead of 50.

The groundwork was laid during the morning by Alex Lees and Kane Williamson, both of whom began unbeaten on 10 and mastered the Middlesex attack to destroy any possibility of a home collapse.

After taking a couple of early blows on the body from Steven Finn, Williamson got into his stride with a whipped four through mid-wicket off Tim Murtagh and followed up by dancing down the track to clip Ollie Rayner for another leg-side boundary.

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Lees twice cover-drove Finn for four with glorious timing, and, as well as both men played, Middlesex did not help themselves by pitching too short as they once more failed to adapt to conditions.

After lunching on 146-1, Yorkshire lost Lees and Williamson in the first 20 minutes after the interval.

Williamson was brilliantly caught one-handed by Rayner at first slip off Murtagh, ending a stand of 132 in 40 overs, before Murtagh had Lees caught low down at second slip by Dawid Malan amid confusion as to whether the ball had carried.

Williamson scored 62 from 108 balls with eight fours, his ninth half-century in 19 first-class innings for the county.

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Lees made 67 from 152 balls with eight fours and a six, the maximum a muscular thump over long-on off Rayner.

Jonny Bairstow contributed an attractive cameo of 32 from 47 balls with six boundaries before hooking to long-leg, adding 46 with Gale in 14 overs.

Gale – who took a nasty blow on the left thumb from Finn, and later a blow on the left elbow – found a notable ally in Jack Leaning, the 20-year-old who accumulated a fluent 76.

The pair added 182 in 45 overs before Leaning was stumped looking for quick runs in the dying stages, having struck three sixes in four deliveries during his 143-ball stay.

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Gale survived one chance on 40 when he was dropped by a diving Chris Rogers at point off Finn in the penultimate over before tea, but he deserved that luck on a day when he drove and pulled magnificently and, most importantly, led from the front.