Jonny Bairstow plays captain's knock for Yorkshire CCC against the champions
A LARGE crowd, a lovely day, and a late decision to televise the match.
The stage was set for Jonny Bairstow, who did not disappoint at The Kia Oval.
The Yorkshire captain hit 89 as his side scored 255 against Surrey, the champions reaching 46-0 at stumps.
It was his highest innings since being made skipper, and a crucial one in the context of the day.
There were more than 6,000 spectators to watch it in the glorious sunshine of south London.
The presence of the Sky cameras added to the almost international feel, the broadcaster choosing to cover the game following the temporary suspension of the Indian Premier League.
That competition was set to resume on Saturday after political tensions between India and Pakistan had caused its cessation.
It has served to play havoc with global schedules, with some players able to return for the duration of the tournament, and others not.
Among those not featuring at the business end now is Will Jacks, due to England’s one-day series against the West Indies clashing with the rearranged knockout stages that run from May 29 to June 3.
According to a report on ESPNCricinfo, Bairstow could be the one to replace Jacks at Mumbai Indians should that franchise progress to the knockouts.
Mumbai are fourth in the table ahead of their final two group games on May 21 and May 26.
The top-four advance to that business end but Mumbai have played a match more than most of their rivals, hence their progress is far from assured.
The situation is one of many moving parts but all that mattered to the Oval crowd were events in the capital after Yorkshire were inserted on a green-looking pitch.
It perhaps played better than it looked, offering value for shots as well as good pace and bounce.
Yorkshire, fresh from a good display against Essex in Chelmsford, where they came within one wicket of beating one of the First Division’s best and most consistent teams, made two changes to their XI, with all-rounder Jordan Thompson and pace bowler Jordan Buckingham replacing spinners Dom Bess and Dan Moriarty.
A familiar face shared new-ball duties for the hosts, with Matty Fisher’s opening burst of 0-14 from five overs giving little away.
Adam Lyth, the division’s standout batsman, and Fin Bean weathered the early storm, adding 52 inside 18 overs before Bean edged a drive at Tom Lawes to third slip.
It was another frustrating situation for Bean, who had done the hard work of getting himself in and who has now reached double figures seven times in nine Championship innings but only once passed the 19 he managed this time.
Yorkshire, for whom Ben Sears was missing with an ankle injury (an absence offset by the fact that Surrey were without fellow fast bowler Dan Worrall with a foot injury), slipped to 59-2 when James Wharton got a fine ball from Jordan Clark that reared up on him and took the edge, wicketkeeper Ben Foakes doing the rest.
At lunch, the total had moved to 75-2, with Lyth on 38 and Jonny Tattersall three, both players having withstood some excellent bowling from Clark in particular.
In the fourth over after the interval, Tattersall was gone, the victim of a remarkable catch by Foakes flying to his left to intercept an attempted pull off Lawes.
It brought Bairstow to the crease and a couple of handsome boundaries off his old comrade Fisher, whom he pulled away and then whipped behind square.
Lyth also played a couple of stylish cover dives off Fisher en route to a 117-ball half-century over which he grafted two-and-a-half hours, but when he reached 55 Lyth got a brute of a ball from Nathan Smith, the nippy New Zealander, which jumped up and took the outside edge.
Yorkshire fell to 154-5 when George Hill edged Clark to second slip, Bairstow and Matty Revis then sharing a useful stand of 49.
It ended from the final ball before tea when Fisher deservedly got in the wickets column, having Revis caught behind to trigger a decline from 203-5.
Bairstow moved to within range of his first hundred as captain after three half-centuries prior to this innings, but in trying to find the boundary with a sweep off Dan Lawrence, he was caught at deep backward square by Lawes, his innings comprising 114 balls and containing 13 fours.
In Lawrence’s next over, Ben Coad chipped back a return to the off-spinner, then Thompson pulled Lawes to Jason Roy at deep backward square having hit 30 from 40 balls with five fours.
The innings ended when Clark, the best bowler, pinned Buckingham to finish with 3-31.
Thirteen overs remained in the day but Rory Burns and Dom Sibley kept Yorkshire at bay.