Middlesex v Yorkshire: Gale excels to put Yorkshire on top

In the city where the buses are similarly sporadic, Andrew Gale followed his career-best 272 against Nottinghamshire at Scarborough with 103 at the home of cricket, providing further confirmation, were any required, that the Yorkshire captain is back to his best.

Since rediscovering his run-scoring touch at Taunton two weeks ago, Gale has made 454 runs in four Championship innings. Last year brought him 481 runs in 14 Championship games; the shackles have been broken in no uncertain terms.

Gale’s latest hundred, which led Yorkshire to 390 all-out on a second day Middlesex closed on 16-1, was not celebrated with the relief that characterised his effort at North Marine Road.

There was no unbridled punching of the air, no suggestion of a man releasing the pent-up emotion of two lean summers.

There was a little punch, yes, but it was one of quiet satisfaction followed by a soft kiss on the badge of his blue batting helmet and a polite hoisting of his bat towards the pristine pavilion.

It was a proud moment for a man whose pride at leading Yorkshire in their 150th anniversary year has translated itself into performances at the crease.

Whether Gale’s century will be sufficient to help Yorkshire to a victory that could send them top of the table at the halfway stage of the Championship campaign remains to be seen.

With 19 overs lost to rain on the opening day, and a further 36 to rain and bad light yesterday, which prevented any play from 4.02pm, time is not on Yorkshire’s side.

Although overhead conditions have been helpful to bowlers throughout the match and, to judge by the forecast, may remain so, the pitch is typically batsman-friendly.

It is difficult enough to take 20 wickets here at the best of times; to win from this position would be some achievement.

For the moment it is sufficient that Yorkshire are playing some very good cricket, and although they would have been disappointed not to have made at least 450 from an overnight platform of 215-2, it was a decent total against a decent attack.

Another 10 runs and they would have reached 400 in their first innings in each of their last six Championship games, a statistic that highlights how consistent they have been and that someone has inevitably stood up to be counted.

On this occasion it was not only Gale who did that but 20-year-old Alex Lees and, not for the first time this summer, 25-year-old Adil Rashid.

Lees’s unbeaten 100 on the first day, his maiden Championship century, justified Gale’s decision to bowl and helped his side into a strong position.

Sadly for Yorkshire, the young man was not able to continue on his merry way yesterday, Lees falling to the first delivery of the morning when he edged James Harris to the wicketkeeper.

Yorkshire lost another wicket to the day’s 11th ball when Joe Sayers, recalled in place of the ill Gary Ballance, was lbw to a full-length delivery from Tim Murtagh.

A poor start for Yorkshire should have got worse when the in-form Rashid was dropped on nought by Neil Dexter at first slip from the 23rd delivery of the day bowled by Murtagh.

With an average of 169 going into the game, Rashid is not a man you want to be reprieving, and he set about proving why in tandem with his captain.

Rashid quickly found his feet with an on-drive off Harris to the foot of the pavilion as exquisite as any to have graced this ground, a shot that was followed by wristy leg-side flicks to the Mound Stand rope.

He had one or two slices of luck; in addition to the Dexter drop, three or four edges flew narrowly wide of the slips, but the attacking nature of his innings was exactly what was required.

The excellent Gale fell 10 minutes before lunch when he played back to off-spinner Ollie Rayner, missed and was lbw, the prelude to a long, doleful walk back towards the pavilion.

It ended a stand of 109 in 25 overs with Rashid, who himself perished to the first ball of the third over after the break when he went lbw trying to work Harris to leg.

When Rich Pyrah was caught at first slip from the last ball of the same over, Yorkshire were 345-7 and had narrowly missed a fourth batting point.

Andrew Hodd was caught and bowled by Murtagh, Ryan Sidebottom then stumped off Rayner and Liam Plunkett trapped lbw by the same bowler after a useful cameo.

Sam Robson, playing back to Steve Patterson, was caught at second slip by Adam Lyth but the weather intervened to thwart Yorkshire’s desire for further wickets.