Gary Ballance steals a march on Adam Lyth with a century in Dubai

Yorkshire and England's Gary Ballance (Picture: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com).

Adam Lyth fell to the first ball of Yorkshire’s pre-season tour, lbw to Lancashire’s Tom Bailey, in the two-day game in Dubai.

But Gary Ballance scored 103 in his first outing since returning from South Africa as a non-playing member of the England Test squad.

Yorkshire hit 313-6 at the ICC Academy ground, and Lancashire will bat on day two of a match in which they are rotating 13 players to Yorkshire’s 15.

Technically, Yorkshire lost only three wickets yesterday as three men – Ballance included – were retired out to give their colleagues practice.

Ballance, who faced 188 balls and hit 14 fours, shared in stands of 127 for the second wicket with Alex Lees and 85 for the third wicket with Andrew Gale.

Gale also retired after making 64 from 96 balls with five fours and a six, which continued his impressive form from the end of last season.

Gale recently missed a week of practice due to a slight flare-up of a wrist problem he suffered last year, but is now recovered.

After Lyth’s early departure, Ballance and Lees knuckled down in impressive fashion. At lunch, they had lifted the score to 110-1 from 30 overs, with Ballance scoring 61 of these and Lees 42.

Shortly after the break, Lees was caught behind by wicketkeeper Alex Davies off Bailey one run short of a half-century, having faced 108 balls and hit four fours.

Ballance continued on his merry way with Gale as they combined to blunt the Lancashire bowling.

Jack Leaning also chipped in with 35 from 62 deliveries, including four fours and a six, before he, too, was retired out.

One of Yorkshire’s most impressive figures with the bat last year was Tim Bresnan, and the pace bowler picked up from where he left off with a sprightly 46.

Bresnan was last out in the final over when he was caught on the leg-side by Arron Lilley off Liam Livingstone, having faced 58 balls and hit eight fours.

Andrew Hodd finished unbeaten on six, with the wicketkeeper set to play more of a role this year due to Jonny Bairstow’s impressive form at Test level.

Lancashire used nine bowlers, Bailey the pick with 2-21 off 11 overs.