Yorkshire v Hampshire: Bairstow comes to rescue of Yorkshire yet again

“I don’t think there’s been a problem,” Bairstow told reporters. “To suggest there’s a problem is nonsense.”

In Yorkshire’s first Championship game of the season, they fell to 155-7 against Worcestershire.

In their second match against Durham, they crashed from 100-2 in their first innings to 149 all-out.

In their third fixture against Nottinghamshire, they were bowled out for 86 in their second innings.

In their first CB40 game of the season, they collapsed to 27-5 against the Netherlands.

In their second CB40 match, they plunged from 125-1 to 193 all-out against Derbyshire.

Bairstow’s words were a clear attempt to defend his team-mates.

He is not a man inclined to countenance negatives.

Yesterday, however, saw a familiar story.

Half the Yorkshire side were back in the greenhouse for 99 before Bairstow (83) and Tim Bresnan (82 not out) masterminded a rousing recovery to 304-7.

Bairstow’s bat remains one of the best defences of a top-order still adjusting to life without star man Jacques Rudolph, and a team boasting Bresnan, Ajmal Shahzad and Ryan Sidebottom will now fancy their chances of going on to beat a Hampshire side still seeking their first Championship victory of the season.

Whatever one’s view of the Yorkshire batting, there is no doubt Bairstow has done a splendid job of holding it together.

Fresh from his 205 at Trent Bridge, he again played well after Yorkshire won the toss in overcast conditions.

After waiting 23 months for a first-class hundred, it seemed two might come along in the space of a week.

But Bairstow played-on to the wily Dominic Cork with the magic figure in sight, the former England pace bowler taking 3-60 to further his quest for an early finish so he can watch his beloved Stoke City in Saturday’s FA Cup final.

With Yorkshire’s top-order continuing to labour, it is particularly untimely that Bairstow will not be available for next week’s Championship match against Lancashire at Liverpool.

He has been chosen for the England Lions game against Sri Lanka at Derby, which also clashes with a CB40 fixture at Worcester.

To deprive counties of key players for meaningless Lions’ contests is a serious blow to the counties – not to mention a slap in the face to members and supporters, who are treated with contempt by the powers-that-be.

Shahzad, who made an unbeaten 42 yesterday, is another selected to take part in a Lions game that will tell England nothing about him they do not already know.

Yorkshire made the worst possible start to this game when they lost both opening batsmen in the first 13 balls.

Joe Sayers was leg before to David Griffiths and Adam Lyth bowled by Cork as Yorkshire skidded to 6-2.

Andrew Gale and Joe Root added 42 before Gale fell in the 17th over, caught down the leg-side from Sean Ervine’s first delivery.

There is no worse way to be dismissed than strangled down the leg-side – apart, that is, from the fate that befell Root, who was run-out for 35 when a straight drive from Bairstow was deflected on to the stumps by the bowler Ervine at the non-striker’s end.

When Gerard Brophy went lbw to Cork playing across the line, Yorkshire were 99-5 and in a fair degree of trouble.

But Bairstow dug deep and grew in stature, playing stylishly all around the wicket on his way to an 80-ball half-century.

Adil Rashid chipped in with 18 before edging Kabir Ali to second slip, the pace bowler playing his first Championship match for a year following a knee injury.

It was another soft dismissal from Yorkshire’s point of view, with Rashid still to fire with the bat this season.

Bairstow and Bresnan added 62 in 18 overs before Bairstow exited stage left, whereupon Hampshire would have fancied their chances of restricting Yorkshire to around 250.

But not for the first time - and definitely not the last - Bresnan and Shahzad showed tremendous fighting spirit to put the top-order’s efforts into perspective.

Bresnan had half a life on 34 when he edged a ball from Ali between stationary slips but was otherwise flawless.

Shahzad – never a batsman to be underestimated – was also in fine nick as he kept his England colleague company.

Bresnan went to his fifty with a leg-side six off Danny Briggs and is within sight of his fourth first-class hundred.

Shahzad - who has a top-score of 88 but undoubtedly has first-class hundreds in his locker – hooked Griffiths for six as he closed in on his own fifty in the evening session, the pair having so far added as many runs (99) as the first five wickets put together.

Headingley duo get Lions call to face Sri Lanka

YORKSHIRE duo Jonny Bairstow and Ajmal Shahzad have been named in England Lions’ squad to face Sri Lanka in Derby next week.

The Lions are also understood to have wanted to include Yorkshire captain Andrew Gale but did not name him following a request from his county.

Eoin Morgan has been given the chance to press his claims to fill Paul Collingwood’s Test place.

Morgan has been touted as the man most likely to replace Collingwood after the right-hander retired from the five-day game following England’s Ashes success in the winter.

However, the Irishman will face opposition from Ravi Bopara who has also been selected in the 12-man Lions squad to raise the prospect of a ‘bat-off’ between the duo ahead of the first Test in Cardiff on May 26 – Gale being the other contender.

While Morgan looms as the man in waiting after touring Australia, Bopara has made a solid start to the new county season and made an unbeaten 136 in his last four-day game against Glamorgan.

Morgan is joined by two of his fellow Ashes winners, with Steven Finn and Shahzad selected, while Graham Onions returns after missing most of last year with back trouble.

Somerset’s James Hildreth leads the team which includes seven of the players who played in the Lions side that was unbeaten during the winter’s four-day competition in the Caribbean.

The one major surprise is the inclusion of Nottinghamshire all-rounder Samit Patel after team director Andy Flower questioned his desire to play for his country earlier this year.

Squad: J Hildreth (Somerset, capt), J Adams (Hampshire), J Bairstow (Yorkshire), D Briggs (Hampshire), R Bopara (Essex), J Dernbach (Surrey), S Finn (Middlesex), E Morgan (Middlesex), G Onions (Durham), S Patel (Nottinghamshire), A Shahzad (Yorkshire), J Taylor (Leicestershire).

Derbyshire recovered from 123-5 to reach 268 against Essex on day two of their County Championship match at Derby.

Greg Smith (35) and Luke Sutton (43) earned Derbyshire a lead of 109.