Yorkshire in ‘great position’ to win at Worcestershire believes Ben Coad after five-wicket haul

The pace bowler returned his season’s best figures of 5-33 from 21 overs as the hosts were forced to follow on at New Road in the LV=Insurance County Championship.

Worcestershire were dismissed for 242, after Yorkshire’s first innings 407, and by stumps were 22-0, still 143 in arrears heading into the final day.

“All in all, we’ve bowled really well and are in a great position to try and win this game,” said Coad. “There was a bit of rain around again, which has lost us a few more overs.

“It’s been tough, but we did really well before their last two came in and batted well.

“To make them follow-on with these Kookaburra balls is a great effort. The attitude in the field was amazing, and we played well with the bat as well. Now we have a chance to go and win the game.

“There’s a little there in the pitch. If you put it in the right areas for long enough, you’ll get the rewards.”

Coad – who picked up his 11th five wicket haul of his career - was well supported by Mark Steketee and Matthew Fisher as Worcestershire were forced to follow on 165 behind. But last wicket pair Adam Finch and Ben Gibbon ate up invaluable time to bolster Worcestershire’s hopes of securing a draw as they batted for 35.3 overs during a last wicket stand of 63 – the highest partnership of the innings.

It kept Yorkshire out in the field for two hours and put extra miles into the legs of some of their bowlers when they were itching to have a crack at the Worcestershire top order for a second time.

Gibbon’s 41 not out was a career best and Finch followed up his five wicket haul on Tuesday by making a defiant 24 before he was last out.

Yorkshire are probably sick of the sight of Finch as his three sixes in the final over of the Vitality Blast game at New Road in May off Fisher earned his side an unlikely victory.

Coad picked up his second five wicket haul of the campaign after his 5-54 against Sussex at Hove in April and was a constant threat.

With just nine overs remaining, Finch and Gibbon went straight back out into the middle in nightwatchmen mode to open rather than the established batters. They again proved difficult to dislodge as Worcestershire reached 22-0.

Worcestershire resumed the day on 46-2 and Jack Haynes looked in good nick as he collected a trio of boundaries off Coad.

But Coad had his revenge with the final ball of the sixth over of the day as Haynes (29) was adjudged lbw.

Azhar Ali battled away against some probing bowling but fell victim to Coad after he switched ends. He was squared up by a delivery and provided George Hill with a comfortable catch at first slip.

Coad bowled five successive maidens before being rested after morning figures of 8-5-14-2.

Steketee came into the attack and he accounted for Ed Pollock who nicked a ball angled away to second slip. Adam Hose needed 26 balls to get off the mark but he then started to score freely with a succession of boundaries against Matthew Fisher and George Hill.

But there was further reward for Skeketee as former Yorkshire all-rounder Matthew Waite appeared to edge a delivery onto his pad before the ball ballooned to third slip.

Hose was unbeaten on 37 when rain brought about an early lunch but he only added a single after play resumed before being beaten all ends up by Fisher and losing his off stump. Joe Leach and Josh Baker added 31 for the eighth wicket before the latter was caught at cover driving at Coad.

Leach hit 33 off 44 balls but then was undone by a ball which lifted on him and Coad held a head high catch at third slip, to make it 179-9, before Finch and Gibbon joined forces to blunt Yorkshire’s efforts to quickly wrap up the innings.