Yorkshire v Worcestershire: Bairstow shines as Sayers fits leadership role well

Moxon was incandescent after last week’s innings defeat to Warwickshire in the County Championship, which saw his side fall back into the relegation zone with two games to play.

Moxon labelled it “embarrassing” and said his players had “no stomach for the fight”.

As post-match reactions go, it was comfortably the most candid he has delivered in his five seasons back at Headingley Carnegie.

Following a little soul-searching, those players produced a good response yesterday to send Yorkshire into tomorrow’s return game against Warwickshire in considerably better spirits than would otherwise have been the case.

Although nothing should be read into this result (second-bottom Yorkshire and bottom club Worcestershire had nothing but pride to play for), it was a welcome confidence-boost ahead of the fixture at Edgbaston, where the grim fight for Championship survival continues apace.

After Worcestershire made 230-6 from their 40 overs, Daryl Mitchell top-scoring with an unbeaten 81 from 86 balls, Yorkshire reached their target with 11 balls to spare.

Jonny Bairstow – who missed last week’s match due to England commitments – led the way with 80, while Joe Root contributed an assured 62.

Bairstow batted with typical swagger and in a manner that suggested England were wrong to leave him out of their final XI against Ireland in Dublin last week.

No one is striking the ball better at present, and there were four sixes in his latest tour de force, which comprised just 67 balls.

Bairstow’s third-wicket stand of 121 in 19 overs with Root was decisive, the pair proceeding at a healthy tempo.

Victory represented a satisfying start to the captaincy career of Joe Sayers, who is standing in on a temporary basis while Jacques Rudolph – himself deputising for injured club captain Andrew Gale – is back in South Africa for a training camp.

Rudolph is due to return for the final Championship game against Somerset at Headingley starting tomorrow week, but Sayers revealed himself an able deputy-deputy as he marshalled his troops beneath leaden skies.

Three of the first four wickets to fall followed bowling changes implemented by Sayers, who has long been earmarked as captaincy material.

One of Yorkshire’s most intelligent players, he adapted to the responsibility in a manner befitting a man whose CV contains not only 5,500 first-team runs but the small matter of 12 GCSEs, four A-levels and a 2:1 physics degree from Oxford University.

Sayers performed his first duty with aplomb – he won the toss.

But it was Worcestershire who made the brighter start.

Openers Moeen Ali and Jack Manuel both hit crisp boundaries as they raised a 50-run stand from just 40 balls.

But after Sayers brought Moin Ashraf on to bowl the ninth over, the pace man had Ali caught behind with his second ball.

The visitors slipped to 72-2 when Manuel sliced Steve Patterson to deep extra-cover before David Wainwright also struck with his second delivery, having Cameron caught at mid-off by Oliver Hannon-Dalby.

When Hannon-Dalby returned for his second spell, he immediately had Alex Kervezee lbw with a full-length delivery that left Worcestershire 90-4.

The visitors stuttered after their encouraging start and lost a fifth wicket on 147 in the 28th over when Aneesh Kapil was caught around the corner off Wainwright, who was Yorkshire’s most economical bowler with 2-33 from eight overs.

After Ajmal Shahzad marked his comeback from an ankle injury by having Gareth Andrew superbly caught by Adam Lyth low down at deep mid-off, Mitchell and Ben Scott finished the innings well.

The seventh-wicket pair added 60 in seven overs – including 49 from the last four overs in the batting power play.

Worcestershire’s total was competitive, and Yorkshire lost two wickets inside the first 10 overs as Sayers was caught at mid-on and Lyth held in the covers after an attractive 33.

But Bairstow and Root took the game away before Bairstow fell with the total on 173, caught at point by Brett D’Oliveira – grandson of former Worcestershire and England batsman Basil.

D’Oliveira, a 19-year-old leg-spinner, was making his List A debut and followed up with his first wicket when he had Root caught at slip.

But 18-year-old Alex Lees, also making his List A debut, helped Yorkshire home with an unbeaten 12 in the company of Gary Ballance (25).