Shan Masood top-scores on Yorkshire debut before Durham hit back on intriguing day

Bidding to avoid a 17th County Championship game without a win, Yorkshire fought hard for two sessions before Durham hit back in the evening shadows, only for the scales to balance again by the close.

On a slow and low surface with rain having hit the north-east in recent days, the old adage that you should never judge a pitch until both sides have batted sprang to mind as we wait to find out the competitiveness of Yorkshire’s total.

What could not be denied is that several batsmen got starts but no one made a sizeable contribution.

Shan Masood, the new club captain making his first appearance after Pakistan duty, top-scored with 44 and looked in pretty good nick, all things considered.

Granted, there were one or two plays-and-misses against the new ball, with plenty of swing on offer for the bowlers, but batting was never the straightforward business that Masood’s decision to take first use of the pitch might have suggested, and Durham bowled well, especially Matthew Potts, who took 4-49 to keep himself firmly on England’s radar with so many injury concerns ahead of the Ashes.

Masood’s innings was followed by an uncharacteristically laboured 36 from Dawid Malan and watchful 20s from George Hill, Jonny Bairstow and Matty Revis. Yorkshire were indebted to Matty Fisher (27 not out) and Mickey Edwards (13) for a last-wicket stand of 36 that lifted them from 218-9 to a first and only batting point, something of a double-edged sword in that it also hinted at what might have been.

Jordan Thompson had Michael Jones caught behind, and Hill trapped Alex Lees, the former Yorkshire batsman, to drag the visitors back into things in the closing stages, the game waiting for someone to grab it by the scruff of the neck.

"I would have liked 46 more runs to get over 300 to get that psychological edge, but after getting two wickets in the evening session, I feel that we are in a decent position,” said Masood. “Even if we get a small lead and start building pressure, we can head towards a position where we can have a good result.”

Commenting on his innings, Masood added: “I was happy with my process at the crease, but obviously you're annoyed when you get out in the forties. You want to kick on, and a score of 70 or 80 would have been useful on this wicket.”

Masood’s debut meant no place for Fin Bean, the 21-year-old who could count himself unlucky as he was Yorkshire’s third-highest scorer going into the match. Revis, the all-rounder, returned at the expense of seamer Ben Coad (groin), while Durham handed county first-class debuts to Bas de Leede, a 23-year-old all-rounder, and to a familiar face as far as Yorkshire fans are concerned, the New Zealand left-arm spinner, Ajaz Patel.

One of only three men after Jim Laker and Anil Kumble to take 10 wickets in a Test innings, Patel played two matches for Yorkshire at the fag end of 2019, although he failed to shine with combined figures of 2-231. Yesterday he was economical (10-2-21-0), although Hill used his feet well to strike him for a crisp six back over his head.

That the game is a great leveller was shown by Adam Lyth’s dismissal in the day’s second over, the left-hander cutting Potts to point to perish for a 10th-ball duck, four days after scoring 174 against Glamorgan at Headingley. Masood played well to lead his men to 79-1 at lunch, although fellow Pakistani Saud Shakeel was forced to retire hurt with the score on 27 in the 13th over when he pulled up with an ankle injury.

Masood went without addition after the break, chopping on to Potts, but Malan and Bairstow combined in a 51-run stand that helped Yorkshire to 132-2 before both fell in the space of seven balls. Malan went after a wide one and was caught at first slip, then Bairstow played-on an attempted drive off that knocked down middle stump - not a bad first victim for the delighted de Leede.

Hill and Revis dug in after that double setback, sharing 49 in 19 overs before Revis’s departure - bowled playing down the wrong line - triggered a collapse from 181-4 to 218-9. Three wickets fell on 202 and all in remarkably similar fashion, Dom Bess pulling to a wide-ish mid-on, Hill pulling to mid-wicket and Shakeel - who came back out at the fall of the sixth wicket - pulling to square-leg.

Shakeel was unable to add to his earlier total of eight and was hit on the helmet by Potts for good measure.

No doubt he returned to his hotel room later to find that housekeeping had forgotten to make up his bed and empty his bin.

After Thompson was bowled round his legs, it took the second new ball to break the last-wicket stand, Edwards inside-edging Raine to the keeper.

The match is poised, everything to play for.