Cricket latest: Pyrah and Sidebottom lead Yorkshire recovery

Exactly 30 years on from England’s Botham-inspired epic Ashes victory in Leeds, Pyrah performed similar heroics on day two of the domestic clash.

Coming in at 44 for seven, with the Yorkshire innings in shreds, 28-year-old Pyrah plundered his maiden Championship century before being last out for 117 at 239, when Lancashire’s lead had been reduced to 89.

But Pyrah did not have the limelight all to himself because he was nobly assisted in a record-breaking ninth-wicket stand of 154 in 30 overs by Ryan Sidebottom, who contributed 52.

Then, in a final twist to a remarkable day, Tim Bresnan, having been released from England’s Test squad at Lord’s, removed openers Paul Horton and Stephen Moore to leave Lancashire on 33 for three, for a lead of 122.

Yorkshire’s comeback followed a dynamic new-ball spell by Kyle Hogg who blasted out the first five batsmen in seven hostile overs at a cost of just 21 runs.

He had Yorkshire reeling on 40 for six at lunch and it soon became 45 for eight as Ajmal Shahzad and Anthony McGrath fell in consecutive overs from Sajid Mahmood.

Against all expectations, Pyrah then launched a violent counter-attack, picking up Tom Smith for six over mid-wicket and playing him off his legs for four to raise the team’s fifty before smashing three boundaries in an over off Mahmood.

Pyrah continued to dominate and two more boundaries doubled the score in six overs, by which time Bresnan had arrived at the ground after driving from London.

A backfoot cover drive by Sidebottom made it a half-century stand, 42 of the runs having come from boundaries, and a pulled six by Pyrah off Glen Chapple rushed him to his half-century off 37 balls with six fours and two sixes, two further boundaries coming off the same over.

Even the return of Hogg could not stem the runs as the century stand was reached in 17 overs. Another pulled six by Pyrah - this time off Hogg - took him to a career-best 88 and averted the follow-on.

Pyrah was on 97 when Sidebottom finally fell lbw to Chapple for 52 from 103 balls with seven fours.

The stand was the highest for Yorkshire’s ninth wicket in any first-class match at Headingley, overtaking the 118 by Schofield Haigh and Wilfred Rhodes against Somerset in 1901, and the only White Rose partnership to beat it for that wicket was the 162 by Haigh and Rhodes at Old Trafford in 1904.

Bresnan, having had time to rest up, put on a valuable 40 for the last wicket with Pyrah who off-drove Chapple to the rope to complete his century, which came from 91 balls with 11 fours and three sixes.

And by the time he drove Smith to Mark Chilton at cover he had faced 126 deliveries and punched a dozen fours and three sixes. He returned to the dressing room to a standing ovation from around the ground.

Pyrah’s innings was also the third highest in Yorkshire’s history by a number nine batsman and the highest in that position against Lancashire.

The drama was still not over because Bresnan steamed in from the Kirkstall Lane end to have Horton and Moore caught at second slip by McGrath with only three scored, Moore bagging a pair.

And from the first ball of the last over of the day, Karl Brown edged Shahzad to wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow.

The end of the day was markedly different to the start, when splendid bowling by Hogg had Yorkshire in complete disarray.

After having Joe Root caught behind, he dismissed Jacques Rudolph to a low catch at gully in his first innings on his return to Yorkshire, and with his next ball he trapped skipper Andrew Gale lbw.

Soon afterwards he again took two wickets in two balls to send back Bairstow and Gary Ballance to lbw decisions and just before lunch Adil Rashid was similarly dismissed by Mahmood.