Patterson has firepower to achieve objective

The Yorkshire pace bowler almost achieved the landmark last year, claiming 45 wickets at 26.68.

It was the most by a Yorkshire quick bowler since 2005, when Deon Kruis (64) and Tim Bresnan (47) helped secure Second Division promotion.

Now Patterson wants to trump his own efforts in what he hopes will prove a better second half of the season for himself and the team.

“My biggest goal on a personal level is to try to get 50 wickets in the Championship,” said Patterson, who has managed 14 so far and has begun to find better rhythm in recent weeks.

“I think batsmen generally want to get 1,000 runs and bowlers want to get 50 wickets, so I’m doing my best to give it a go.

“I’ve started a little bit slowly this year but there’s still a lot of cricket to be played.

“I think it’s important to set yourself targets and to try to improve as much as you can.”

Patterson, 27, could be one of the key performers in the remaining eight Championship fixtures.

Yorkshire always seem more solid with him in the side, the Beverley-born pace man offering excellent control, and there is no doubt he has the firepower to make the 50-wicket objective a realistic one.

Yorkshire resume their Championship programme away to Durham on Saturday week as they look to pull clear of the lower reaches of Division One.

With Patterson starting to come to the boil, both player and club will be optimistic of better times ahead. “At the start of the year, I think I loaded too much pressure on myself to try to be successful, particularly after last year when I did quite well,” admitted Patterson.

“I perhaps tried a bit too hard and lost sight a bit of what I did well last year – just being patient.

“I feel as though I’ve started to come back into my own a bit now.

“I’ve got back to being more consistent and not going for runs, and, when I do that, that’s when I tend to get wickets.”

Last year, Yorkshire captain Andrew Gale said Patterson was pretty much the first man on his team-sheet.

But Gale – a captain who likes to keep players on their toes – dropped him after two Championship matches this summer, causing Patterson to take stock.

“It was a bit of a shock to be dropped,” he conceded. “I suppose sometimes, as much as you try not to, you do get into a bit of a comfort zone.

“It made me realise I’ve got to make sure I perform to my best in every game.

“Although I was disappointed at the time, I don’t think it was the worst thing that could have happened to me.”

Patterson faces an additional pressure this year – that of being a senior player.

Whereas last summer was something of a breakthrough campaign, with Patterson more than doubling his first-class wicket haul in one season, this year has brought a different kind of challenge.

“It’s a different level of responsibility when you’re viewed as a senior player,” he added.

“You’re expected to do well rather than people hoping that you’re going to do well.

“I know I’m not a 90mph bowler or an X-factor type bowler – that’s not my game. I just try to be as consistent as I can and the sort of cricketer who people know what they’re going to get from week-in, week-out.”

Lancashire have signed Pakistan left-armer Junaid Khan.

The 21-year-old will join his new team-mates for their Friends Life t20 campaign, subject to registration.

“Junaid is a hot prospect who was recommended to us by Wasim Akram,” said Lancashire cricket director Mike Watkinson. “There may be some scope for him to feature in our Championship squad later in the summer.”

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