Yorkshire’s Dawid Malan enjoys a quick cameo - then a longer stint at crease

DAWID MALAN had waited nearly nine months to make his Yorkshire debut after signing from Middlesex at the start of November.

So it was perhaps only fair that he had not one but two goes with the bat as Yorkshire scored 260-12 in a practice friendly against Durham at Headingley.

Malan’s first innings in a Yorkshire shirt saw him score 12 from 23 balls.

It contained two handsome offside boundaries off pace bowler Paul Coughlin – the first caressed through the covers with a lovely free-flowing swing, like a man practising the shot in front of a mirror; the second, slightly squarer, not quite so aesthetically pleasing as the ball travelled out towards the same West Stand.

And then it was over, Malan going to a good low catch at second slip by David Bedingham after aiming a loose drive at paceman Matt Salisbury.

It left Yorkshire 56-3 in the 24th over after Tom Kohler-Cadmore (9) had been bowled shouldering arms to Chris Rushworth, and Will Fraine (3) taken at first slip by Sean Dickson off Matty Potts.

In a two-day affair that should have begun on Monday but was unable to do so due to rain, so will now continue today albeit without any media present due to operational reasons caused by the extension, Malan returned to the crease after Yorkshire slipped to 108-6 after lunch.

On the electronic scoreboards, the left-hander’s second coming saw him listed as spin bowler Jack Shutt, while the online scorecard had him down as Harry Duke, who is one of three men sharing the wicketkeeping gloves for 16-man Yorkshire along with Jonny Tattersall and Ben Birkhead against 14-man opponents.

Such are the complications caused by practice games and the same batsmen returning to the crease, but Malan was more identifiable as himself in his second innings, the England man striking an unbeaten 64 from 114 balls with seven fours before retiring towards day’s end.

The 32-year-old was circumspect initially, as if keen not to waste his second opportunity, but after taking 16 balls and 22 minutes to get off the mark, Malan spent useful time in the middle against challenging bowling.

As was the case in Yorkshire’s opening warm-up match, against Lancashire at Emerald Headingley last week, opener Adam Lyth also caught the eye.

Lyth followed his 108 (retired out) against the old enemy with 60 here from 121 balls with 11 fours. He looks in fine fettle ahead of Yorkshire’s opening match in the Bob Willis Trophy against Durham at Chester-le-Street on Saturday, and it was some surprise when an innings full of typically fluent drives here ended when he lobbed up a ball from Salisbury shortly after lunch to mid-on, where Ben Raine took an excellent catch diving forward.

It was the first of six wickets for 14 runs as Yorkshire collapsed dramatically in the sunshine, their batting showing a distinct rustiness. Harry Brook (10) and Jonny Tattersall (9) were lbw trying to play to leg; George Hill (1) caught behind defending; Matthew Waite (0) taken at third slip off a flashing drive, and Matthew Fisher (2) lbw pushing forward, which left the hosts 113-9.

But Malan and Jordan Thompson added 65 inside 24 overs, Thompson compiling 32 before edging to third slip.

On their own second visits to the crease, Brook was caught at mid-wicket for three, Tattersall caught behind for 13, and Fraine undefeated on 27.

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