Cricket latest: Bell toils against Yorkshire

With a Test match century in Bangladesh still fresh in the memory, the England batsman safely negotiated the final session as the home side cleared their deficit for the loss of Ian Westwood.

Bell, unbeaten with 41 after pulling Adil Rashid for six in the last over, and Varun Chopra, reaching 33 not out on his debut, saw Warwickshire through to 84 for one, a lead of 27 after two days of unyielding cricket.

Ajmal Shahzad put Yorkshire in a promising position with an undefeated 30 in a total of 274 and then rocked Warwickshire when Westwood edged the paceman's eighth delivery behind the wicket.

Bell could have been run out early in his innings, but with former Essex opener Chopra determined to make up for an early dismissal on the first morning, the pressure gradually eased as the second pair put on an unbroken 75.

When Yorkshire resumed on 128-3 this morning, still trailing by 89, their overnight pair kept Warwickshire waiting for well over an hour before both batsmen were dismissed in the space of five balls.

New captain Andrew Gale's watchful progress to 23 in a stand of 69 ended when he was lbw to Neil Carter and Jacques Rudolph relaxed his discipline after making 75.

Imran Tahir knocked back the South African's leg stump as he aimed to add to his 11 boundaries from 153 balls.

Carter quickly accounted for Jonathan Bairstow, the Yorkshire wicketkeeper tamely swatting a short delivery to square leg, and Yorkshire were wobbling at 197 for seven when Naqaash Tahir had Tim Bresnan caught behind.

It was then that Rashid came to their rescue with a fighting knock of 44 in his first Championship appearance since his undefeated scores of 117 against Hampshire and 157 against Lancashire in successive innings last August.

With Warwickshire's bowlers finding enough movement to beat the bat on a regular basis, the young all-rounder was prepared to battle for his runs, but when an opportunity presented itself, he played some impressive shots for eight fours.

Rashid had been given an early let-off when Jonathan Trott put down a difficult chance at first slip and there was an element of irony that it was Trott who finally broke a partnership of 63 in 36 overs with Shahzad.

Called up as Warwickshire's fifth seamer, the England batsman and occasional medium-pacer had Rashid caught at first slip from his third delivery.

Chris Woakes and Imran Tahir - the leg spinner taking three for 67 on his debut for a new county - quickly polished off the last two wickets, leaving the obdurate Shahzad unbeaten after holding up Warwickshire for more than two hours.

For Chris Waters's match report and reaction, read Sports Monday, free with Monday's Yorkshire Post newspaper.