Rudolph’s return so timely as Yorkshire battle for survival

As Yorkshire scored 532 in their first innings at Southampton, there were unmistakable echoes of the last campaign when the side finished third in the Championship First Division.

The recently-returned Jacques Rudolph set the tone with a typically fluent 99.

And veteran campaigner Anthony McGrath top-scored with 115 – his first Championship hundred for almost 12 months.

Throw in splendid contributions from Gary Ballance (76), Andrew Gale (54) and Gerard Brophy (53) and it was as if the previous four months been a bad dream.

It was certainly not the sort of total we are used to seeing from a team that have floundered in all competitions.

Yorkshire had gone into the game at the Rose Bowl third-bottom of the table after two victories in 11 matches.

Even their most one-eyed follower would acknowledge it has been a disappointing season.

Granted, Yorkshire’s batting display on the south coast might not have been perfect; they used up 171.2 overs in getting to their total and might have scored a tad quicker in an effort to force a declaration.

The pitch was also depressingly flat – as evidenced when Hampshire replied with 599-3 declared, Michael Carberry (300 not out) and Neil McKenzie (237) achieving a county cricket record third-wicket partnership of 523.

But even accounting for the docile pitch, Yorkshire’s first innings score was one of much-needed substance, the sort that has been sadly lacking in recent times and one which raised hope that relegation can be avoided during the closing weeks.

It also highlighted perfectly the Rudolph effect, with the South African having already exerted a palpable influence.

Prior to his return just under three weeks ago, Yorkshire had struggled to post sizeable contributions in the four-day game.

Indeed, they had only once before passed 400 in the Championship this season, making 534-9 declared against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge when Jonny Bairstow helped himself to a double hundred.

Batting collapses have been the order of the day as Yorkshire have failed to build big enough partnerships.

The old failing of losing wickets in clusters – leading not so much to poor sessions as appalling ones – has come back with a vengeance as the team have either let promising positions slip or else suddenly handed the advantage to their opponents.

Rudolph, of course, was always going to leave a huge hole after he announced at the end of last summer he was returning to South Africa for family reasons.

Last season, the left-hander scored 2,463 runs in all competitions as Yorkshire finished third in the Championship and reached the CB40 semi-finals.

It is not only Rudolph’s runs Yorkshire have missed, however, but his aura of tranquillity and unruffled manner.

With him in the ranks, there seems a calmness about the side; without him, there has been a lack of confidence among a young group of players.

It was that lack of confidence which Rudolph detected as soon as he walked back into the Yorkshire dressing room.

After agreeing to help out the club until the end of the season, he was struck by a subtle absence of self-belief.

Following his first innings performance at the Rose Bowl, Rudolph admitted: “I’ve obviously not been here with the guys for the last four months, but it was one of my first impressions that we just looked a little tentative and not sure how to go about things.

“But the way we batted against Hampshire was absolutely outstanding and hopefully that will give us plenty more confidence going forward.”

Of course, Yorkshire have had to make do not only without important scores from Rudolph for much of the season – but also from such as McGrath and Adam Lyth.

Rudolph, McGrath and Lyth all passed 1,000 first-class runs last summer, but McGrath had scored only 207 in the Championship prior to his century against bottom county Hampshire at Southampton, while Lyth has lost his place altogether after making 424 at 24.94 this season.

Consequently, Yorkshire have been left with an enormous gap at the top of the order.

It has put too much pressure on young players such as Ballance and Joe Root when they are still finding their feet in the professional game.

In fairness to those two players, they have done as much as could have been expected and look outstanding prospects for the future.

But for whatever reason, the capped players have not always been able to step up to the plate.

Rudolph, however, seems unfailingly reliable.

If he has gone through a bad spell during his four-and-a-bit seasons with the club, it does not readily spring to mind.

The 30-year-old always seems to have a run-scoring option, a way of getting off strike to keep the scoreboard moving.

He brings an unmistakable air of class and composure and has a steadying effect on the players around him.