Warwickshire v Yorkshire: Devastating Plunkett puts Yorkshire firmly in control

Harmison captured eight wickets in three Championship games at 24.37 – ostensibly credible figures but ones which told only half the story as he struggled at times with his length and direction.

Plunkett had acquired a similar reputation for erratic performance but, rather like Harmison, he has a significant trump card up his sleeve.

For the 28-year-old has always been a wicket-taking bowler, a man as likely to produce a devastating spell as he is to concede 0-100 from 20 overs.

It was Plunkett the wicket-taker in evidence yesterday – just as it has been Plunkett the wicket-taker for much of the season.

Handed the chance by Yorkshire to resurrect his career, he returned 5-32 – his best Championship figures since September 2009 – as Warwickshire were routed for 128, Yorkshire replying with 11-0 on a day when heavy rain prevented play until 2.30pm and forced the loss of 37 overs.

When the home side reached 42-1 after losing the toss, Plunkett claimed 3-0 in 18 balls to rip the heart out of the champions’ top-order.

It was one of those magical bursts that transforms games, a flurry of controlled aggression that was almost Harmison-esque in the way that the machinery suddenly clicked into gear.

Rested for the previous Championship match against Somerset, Plunkett did his damage from the City End after Ryan Sidebottom captured the early wicket of Varun Chopra, superbly caught by Adam Lyth in front of his face at second slip at the second attempt after the ball travelled to him like a tracer bullet.

In favourable bowling conditions, Will Porterfield and Jim Troughton were just beginning to give their side the semblance of a foothold when the prodigious Plunkett entered the fray.

He began with a maiden to Troughton before 11 runs somewhat incongruously arrived off his second over – seven of them extras in the form of four byes and three leg-byes.

Plunkett removed Porterfield with the first delivery of his third over, a wicket maiden, when Rich Pyrah leapt spectacularly at point, far to his left.

It was a typically outstanding catch from Pyrah, who has been nominated as the player to drop out today should Tim Bresnan be released from Test duty at Lord’s.

Plunkett got rid of Darren Maddy with the first ball of his next over, the batsman going lbw for a duck propping forward, and then sent back Tim Ambrose with the final delivery of his subsequent over, the former England wicketkeeper well-caught low at second slip by Lyth.

When the ever-probing Steve Patterson knocked out Chris Woakes’s middle stump with a ball that looked to keep a touch low, Warwickshire were 55-5 in the 27th over and in a state of disarray.

Troughton and Rikki Clarke took them into tea on 64-5 but Clarke did not linger long thereafter, perishing lbw to Sidebottom with the score on 71 to a delivery that swung back viciously.

Sidebottom, who missed the last Championship game through illness, served some splendid stuff first up with Patterson, when you felt that a wicket could fall practically every ball.

Both new-ball bowlers had a couple of close lbw shouts too, which, to the naked eye at least, looked as though they deserved to be answered in the affirmative rather than with a reluctant shrug of the shoulders by umpires Trevor Jesty and Michael Gough.

As the dark clouds of morning were replaced by late afternoon sunshine, Yorkshire might have wrapped things up earlier had it not been for a dropped catch by Lyth at second slip.

It was another difficult and extremely fast chance as Troughton cut the first delivery of Plunkett’s second spell, but one which such an outstanding fielder would expect to grab perhaps six times out of 10.

Lyth made amends with the total on 111 when he claimed his third slip catch of the innings, Patterson finding Tom Milnes’s outside edge to finish a stand of 40 in 14 overs with Troughton.

Patterson followed up by having Jeetan Patel caught at first slip by Gary Ballance, who moved sharply to his left, before Plunkett wrapped up the innings with two wickets in successive balls.

First, Chris Wright provided Ballance with his second slip catch before Plunkett had Boyd Rankin caught and bowled, leaving the admirable Troughton stranded on 65, made from 132 balls with 10 fours.

Lyth and Joe Sayers saw Yorkshire through a tricky five-over period to stumps, with the visitors handily placed to build a match-winning lead.