Yorkshire v Nottinghamshire: Moxon in blast at Yorkshire batsmen after loss

In one of the most extraordinary comebacks in Championship history, Nottinghamshire beat Yorkshire by 58 runs. No one who saw it will ever forget.

Nottinghamshire looked dead and buried going into day three.

They were 175-6 in their second innings – 18 short of making Yorkshire bat again – and seemed likely to be going home on the wrong end of a larruping sometime around lunchtime.

But Chris Read’s men had different ideas.

In a turnaround to rival the Botham/Willis annihilation of Australia here 30 years ago, Nottinghamshire rallied to reach 337 on the back of 86 from Read and 83 from Steven Mullaney.

They batted throughout the morning session and were not separated until 40 minutes into the afternoon, adding 150 for the seventh wicket.

Left to make 145, Andrew Gale’s side were blown away for 86 in 30.3 overs, the last wicket falling with 8.3 overs of the day remaining.

Thus Good Friday turned into Grim Friday for Yorkshire, who will not easily shrug off a devastating setback.

Even more remarkable, Nottinghamshire were without star man Andre Adams, who was unable to bowl after injuring his groin on the opening day.

Instead it was Paul Franks, Luke Fletcher and Charlie Shreck who did the damage with three wickets apiece.

Only Jonathan Bairstow resisted for the home side, scoring an unbeaten 50 that put the rest of the innings into glaring context.

Bairstow is a dab hand at guiding Yorkshire home in tense situations and, as long as he was there, they had a chance.

But he needed someone to stay with him and offer support, and only Joe Root (14) also reached double figures.

The next highest score was Gale with six as eight batsmen lasted less than 10 balls.

Martyn Moxon, Yorkshire’s director of professional cricket, offered no excuse for the team’s capitulation.

However, the former Yorkshire and England opener felt the seeds were sewn earlier in the game when Yorkshire – 106-1 in reply to Nottinghamshire’s 143 – made only 336 in their first innings and failed to put the game completely out of their opponent’s reach.

“It was deeply disappointing to lose the way we did having got ourselves into a winning position,” said Moxon.

“But as disappointing as our second innings batting was, I’m actually more disappointed with the first innings.

“We gave away too many unnecessary wickets from a position of strength and that ultimately came back to bite us.

“Apart from one poor shot in the second innings, we were largely bowled out as Nottinghamshire produced some decent deliveries.

“We haven’t batted well enough collectively in any of our three Championship games so far.

“It’s still early days, but it’s a worrying trend we need to address.

“I think we’re better than we batted against Nottinghamshire and better than we’ve batted since the start of the season.

“The bottom line is we can’t afford to have poor passages of play against quality teams.”

There seemed little prospect of much cricket yesterday when Read and Mullaney resumed for Nottinghamshire.

An early wicket would surely have triggered a rapid conclusion, but the batsmen prospered against ordinary bowling at Headingley.

Rich Pyrah was the pick of the attack, but Yorkshire did not bowl well collectively.

Read and Mullaney scored comparatively freely, working the ball on both sides of the wicket and occasionally unfurling a thumping boundary.

Both players reached fifty just before lunch, Mullaney bringing up his milestone with a pulled six off Pyrah.

Yorkshire were glad of the interval and a chance to regroup, with Nottinghamshire having forged a lead of 111.

Read finally fell with the total on 317, lbw to Adil Rashid, who started to find turn from the Rugby Stand end.

Rashid followed up by removing Adams and Fletcher lbw before the innings ended when Mullaney pulled Sidebottom to Rashid at deep square-leg.

Yorkshire’s run-chase began disastrously.

Adam Lyth (shouldering arms) and Anthony McGrath (propping forward) were lbw to the final two balls of the second over, bowled by Shreck, and Yorkshire slipped to 15-3 when Gale dragged on to Fletcher.

Root and Bairstow took the score to 44 before Root went lbw to Franks, Yorkshire slipping to 51-5 when Gerard Brophy was adjudged lbw to a ball from Shreck that might have been drifting down leg-side.

Franks had Rashid caught at point and somewhat unnecessarily sent him on his way with a word in his ear, before having Pyrah caught behind with a beauty that left Yorkshire on the brink at 66-7.

Bairstow reached fifty from 71 balls but the tail folded like a cheap suit, David Wainwright caught at bat-pad, Sidebottom lbw and last man Hannon-Dalby held in the slips.

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