Jonny Bairstow injury blow as he is subbed out of Cardiff clash as Yorkshire CCC battle against Glamorgan
A NEW rule in this year’s County Championship allows for players to be substituted during games for injury, illness and significant life events provided the replacements are “like-for-like”.
Although it seems clear enough what is meant by that - you can’t bring a spinner in for a fast bowler, say, or a batsman for a seamer - it can hardly be always an exact equivalence.
For how do you import a like-for-like replacement for Jonny Bairstow, say, the Yorkshire captain who is one of a kind?
Bairstow was subbed out of this match at the halfway stage after injuring his right thumb while keeping wicket on the first evening, his place in the XI taken by Will Luxton, the 22-year-old batsman, and behind the stumps by the opener Fin Bean.
Bairstow’s injury has now been diagnosed as a small fracture; he’d tried to hit some balls in the indoor nets but reported soreness and did not want to risk a longer lay-off.
The new rule also states that anyone subbed out of a game in this way is not allowed to play for at least another eight days in county cricket (although it does not apply to playing in The Hundred, a competition thus ring-fenced in more ways than one).
It means that Bairstow, whatever the case, will miss the Championship match against Hampshire at Headingley, starting on Friday, after which Yorkshire have a week off between Championship rounds. The hope is that he will return for the club’s subsequent fixture, against Sussex at Headingley, beginning on April 24, when Joe Root is set to appear for the first time this season.
Thus was the backdrop to the third day in Cardiff, which began with news of Bairstow’s substitution and ended with his side - under the locum leadership of Dom Bess - trailing Glamorgan by 187 runs.
After the hosts scored 302 in their first innings, Yorkshire advanced from 1-0 overnight to be bowled out for 226 on the stroke of tea, Matty Revis top-scoring with 50 and Mason Crane, the former England leg-spinner, taking 5-55 in a fine display.
Glamorgan reached 111-3 in their second innings, Eddie Bryom top-scoring with 40. The hosts have fought back well from 28-4 on the opening day on their first appearance back in the top flight for 21 years.
There was a nip in the air when play began but sunshine too on this Easter Sunday.
It started out with an Easter gift from Ryan Hadley, the hosts’ Australian quick, who served up a juicy full toss which Adam Lyth eased to the rope.
Yorkshire added 119-4 in an eventful morning, three of the wickets to the 29-year-old Crane, whose solitary Test was in Sydney eight years ago. Bowling from the River Taff end, he found a lovely rhythm and some sharp turn at times, a good sign for England as well as Glamorgan.
Crane’s first wicket was Sam Whiteman, who played back to a leg-break and was lbw, the Australian scoring 48 on debut with some low-risk and often high-quality strokes.
Crane then had James Wharton lbw with what looked like a googly and bowled Luxton around his legs as he attempted to sweep, Bean having been the day’s first wicket when he was caught behind pushing forward at Timm van der Gugten.
Having battled through the morning to make 35, Lyth fell soon after the restart. Hadley dug one in and the left-hander helped it to first slip, kicking the ground in frustration as he left the scene.
Crane claimed his fourth wicket when he ripped a beauty past George Hill’s forward push, the ball turning from outside leg to hit off stump, before a breezy 32 from Bess was ended when he was lbw to van der Gugten, the ball possibly drifting down leg-side.
Hadley had Logan van Beek caught at second slip from a mistimed help to leg, then Revis caught behind flicking at a short ball – one delivery after he pulled him for six to reach his fifty in the grand manner from 78 balls.
The innings ended when Ben Coad flashed to slip to give Crane a five-fer, richly deserved.
Glamorgan’s second innings began painstakingly, with just 10 runs arriving in the first nine overs as Yorkshire bowled with good discipline.
Bess broke the opening stand 45 minutes in when Asa Tribe appeared to misjudge the length as he looked to hit the ball through the leg-side and was lbw, the Test prospect starting his season with a pair of low scores.
It was Bess’s 300th wicket on his 114th first-class appearance – and number 301 followed when Sean Dickson lost patience and skied to a back-pedalling Revis at mid-on. Scores of 0 and 2 on debut were not what Dickson – who joined from Somerset in the winter – would have hoped for either.
At last, a first wicket too for Logan van Beek, who had Byrom top-edging to Revis at long-leg. The flying Dutchman will feel a lot better for that.