Yorkshire v Middlesex: Ballance making a name for himself at Yorkshire

Not that the 21-year-old Zimbabwean is actually irritating; on the contrary, Ballance is an agreeable batsman and an affable character.

Ballance is exasperating because every time you type his surname into a computer, the automatic spell-checker changes it back to “Balance”.

Even his Yorkshire shirt has him down as “Balance”, presumably the default setting at the clothing manufacturer.

The way things are going, Ballance could well be irritating plenty of journalists over the years.

He is beginning to blossom into an excellent batsman – one who is proving his worth in all forms of the game.

Ballance’s 71 against Middlesex yesterday – the highlight of a six-wicket defeat in a game reduced by rain to 31 overs per side – was his highest one-day innings for the club.

It complemented his splendid form in the County Championship, in which he has made half-centuries in each of his last five games after being given an extended run by captain Andrew Gale.

Rather like Ballance, who is still learning his trade, the Yorkshire side are presently a work in progress.

On their day, Gale’s inexperienced team are capable of beating anyone.

When it is not their day, anyone is capable of beating them – as we saw earlier in the summer when the Netherlands prevailed by two runs at Headingley Carnegie.

This was a day when Yorkshire’s inconsistencies were in palpable evidence.

Their batting display, after they were invited to take first use of a decent pitch, was sluggish in patches and stimulating in others.

They were 51-3 at the halfway stage of their innings but rallied to reach 196-7, with 110 arriving from the last 10 overs.

Adam Lyth chipped in with 52 from 73 balls, while Bairstow lashed 33 from 15 deliveries – including three successive sixes off a final over from Corey Collymore that cost 27 runs.

Middlesex bowled well to restrict the home side in the early stages but Yorkshire’s batting was a mixed affair.

In reply, the visitors began well, reaching 55-0 from 10 overs.

Yorkshire retaliated with two quick wickets as Scott Newman was caught at mid-on and Dawid Malan caught behind.

But Paul Stirling (57) and Chris Rogers (51) added 116 for the third-wicket in 13 overs as the visitors eased home with one over to spare.

Rain had forced a 90-minute delay to proceedings, which commenced at 3.15pm beneath leaden skies.

Yorkshire lost a wicket to the fifth ball of their innings when Joe Sayers was caught at the second attempt by Malan at first slip after Neil Dexter spilled the initial opportunity at second slip off Collymore.

Yorkshire slipped to 36-2 in the 10th over when Gale was caught and bowled after top-edging a pull off Steven Crook.

Anthony McGrath was run-out with the total on 41 in the 13th over after pushing Tim Murtagh to mid-on, where Crook swooped to throw down the stumps.

Lyth and Ballance steadied the ship and then accelerated gradually, Ballance striking the first boundary for 11 overs when he flicked Murtagh through mid-wicket in the 19th over.

Ballance struck Steven Finn for six over mid-wicket on his way to fifty from 43 balls and celebrated by launching Crook over backward square-leg into the West Stand.

Lyth went to his half-century from 69 balls with three fours and a six over mid-wicket off Crook.

The left-hander had contributed 30 to a stand of 111 in 15 overs with Ballance when the latter spooned Dexter to deep square-leg, Lyth then falling to a catch at deep mid-wicket off Collymore, who took 3-52.

Ajmal Shahzad failed to trouble the scorers but Bairstow kept them busy in an entertaining cameo.

The wicketkeeper fell to one of the most curious catches one is likely to see; attempting a fourth successive six off Collymore in the final over, he was caught at deep mid-wicket by Crook, who somehow clung on despite falling on to his backside before the ball had arrived.

Middlesex’s innings was stablised by Stirling and Rogers, who rotated the strike well and capitalised on some unusually below-par Yorkshire fielding.

Stirling was yorked by Ryan Sidebottom 17 runs short of the winning line, while Rogers perished two runs later when he slashed Shahzad to Sidebottom at short third-man.

It left Dexter and Jamie Dalrymple to complete the formalities, with Yorkshire’s defeat further shrinking their slender hopes of reaching the semi-finals.

Yorkshire expect to find out today whether South African batsman Jacques Rudolph has received his work permit in time to play in Wednesday’s Championship game against Lancashire at Headingley.

There were wins for both Scotland and Holland yesterday on a rain-decimated day in the Clydesdale Bank 40.

The Scots picked up their first win in the competition this season as Kyle Coetzer’s century earned them a 12-run success against Northamptonshire.

Captain Peter Borren blitzed an astonishing 71 from 33 balls, as the Dutch beat Kent.