No need for Imam to “bail” out Yorkshire as he shows his class again
“GEORGE BALDERSON’s half-century came from 38 deliveries with three fours and three sixes,” said Howard Ferguson, the PA announcer.
“Not bad for two innings,” shouted a wag in the crowd, referring to a remarkable incident early in the Lancashire man’s innings when he trod on his stumps but was given not out.
Balderson had 18 and the total was 200-4 in the 39th over when, in pulling the left-arm spinner Dan Moriarty to the boundary, his back foot made contact with the stumps, dislodging the off bail.
The umpires did not see the incident and so the protests of Yorkshire wicketkeeper Harry Duke and his team-mates fell on deaf ears, officials Graham Lloyd and Paul Baldwin not having the benefit of video replays.
Balderson went on to score 70 and Lancashire 294-7 from their 50 overs but it did not prove costly from Yorkshire’s perspective. Instead, on a day when Michael Jones top-scored for the visitors with 102 from 88 balls with six fours and seven sixes, Yorkshire found batsmen of their own who stepped up in reply, easing to a seven-wicket win with 19 balls left to make it three out of three in the One-Day Cup.
Imam-ul-Haq, fresh from a career-best 159 at Northampton on Friday, struck 117 from 124 balls with 10 fours and five sixes, sharing 153 for the second-wicket with Will Luxton, who made 77 from 63 with eight fours and two sixes.
James Wharton and Matty Revis, who both hit 41, finished the job expertly with an unbroken stand of 75, sealing another clinical, ominous display.
On a typically good pitch at York Sports Club, the day hot and humid and eventually sunny, Yorkshire showed two changes to the side that had thrashed Northamptonshire by 202 runs.
Ben Coad played his first game in this year’s competition after a hamstring problem, and Jack White returned as his new-ball partner, fellow pace men Ben Cliff and Matt Milnes making way.
Jones helped Lancashire off to a flyer, launching White for a leg-side six towards the marquee, which bustled with life and with corporate conversation. White hit back with the first wicket with the final ball of the game’s sixth over, George Bell leg-before, playing to leg.
Yorkshire missed a chance to run out Marcus Harris, the Lancashire captain and their main dangerman, when he had 10 to his name, Dom Bess’ throw from cover point just wide of the stumps.
But after Jones went to his fifty from 33 balls, Yorkshire got rid of Harris for 32 when Revis had him caught behind driving, keeper Duke moving smartly to his left to end a second-wicket stand of 92 from 95 balls.
When Coad had Josh Bohannon lbw in the next over for a fifth-ball duck, aiming a drive back down the ground, Lancashire were 136-3 in the 24th and Yorkshire had regained a sense of control, although they still had to get rid of the troublesome Jones, who twice pulled Revis for six towards the rugby ground as he reached his hundred from 79 balls.
Eventually, advancing to White, the 27-year-old made a mistake, scything to Hill on the extra cover boundary in front of the net area, leaving Lancashire 175-4 in the 34th. Then came the bail business and Balderson's reprieve, the 24-year-old left-hander going on to his fifty from 38 balls. Harry Singh chipped in with 33 before lofting Bess to Hill at long-on, Balderson finally perishing in the penultimate over when he miscued a pull straight back to Hill.
Ollie Sutton was run-out from the final ball, trying for a second to deep mid-wicket, from where Wharton’s throw to Duke did the rest.
There was no real acceleration throughout the innings, more of a uniform run-rate, a credit to how Yorkshire kept things in check.
Adam Lyth has yet to get going in this year’s tournament, no doubt a temporary hiatus, falling for his third successive single-figure score when he flashed a drive at Tom Bailey and was caught behind, leaving Yorkshire 16-1 in the seventh.
Luxton has been in good form, though, and he soon injected impetus by striking Will Williams, the New Zealand seamer, for four successive boundaries that included an imperious six over square-leg. Luxton needed only 42 balls for his fifty – 30 balls faster than Imam, who anchored matters with an ease that bordered on effortlessness at times.
A century looked to be Luxton’s for the taking but, in trying to loft the left-arm spin of Charlie Barnard for a straight six towards the temporary stand, he picked out Bailey at long-on, much to his frustration.
Imam, though, did not miss out, a pulled six off Bailey seeing him to three figures.
"Imam-ul-Haq’s century came from 118 deliveries with 10 fours and four sixes,” announced Howard Ferguson, a milestone that drew a standing ovation from the 4,500 crowd, followed by another when Imam departed after pulling Arav Shetty to mid-wicket.