Yorkshire v Nottinghamshire: Rudolph plays straight bat after Yorkshire fightback

County Championship

JACQUES RUDOLPH last night declined to be drawn on whether this could be his final season with Yorkshire.

The South African batsman, whose 16th County Championship hundred clawed them back into their title battle with Nottinghamshire, played a dead bat to suggestions he might be on his way at the end of the year.

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Rudolph, 29, is contracted to Yorkshire until the end of next summer.

But he has been tipped by some South African sources to quit county cricket to pursue his hopes of an international comeback.

Rudolph, who scored 141 to pass 1,000 first-class runs for the fourth successive summer, said: "At the moment, I'm still contracted by Yorkshire. I don't want to comment any further."

Rudolph ostensibly waived his right to play international cricket to join Yorkshire as a Kolpak player in 2007.

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He has made 35 Test and 45 one-day international appearances but has not played for South Africa since August 2006.

Rudolph has done his chances of returning to the highest level no harm with some outstanding performances for Yorkshire.

In 60 first-class games for the county he has scored 4,839 runs at 54.37 and been a model professional on-and-off the field.

Never was Rudolph's value to Yorkshire more exemplified than yesterday when he helped them out of a hole against their closest rivals.

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After Nottinghamshire established a first innings lead of 367, the Australian David Hussey scoring a magnificent, unbeaten 251, Rudolph steered Yorkshire to 272-2 at the close, a deficit of 95.

With the pitch possessing less life than a cadaver, and with poor weather forecast today, Yorkshire should save a match they seemed destined to lose after being comprehensively outplayed during the first two days.

On this evidence, efforts to produce more competitive surfaces at Headingley this summer have proved frustratingly futile.

If anything, the pitches are getting better when they should be deteriorating.

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"I think we've got a really good chance of saving the game," said Rudolph, who passed 13,000 first-class runs during the course of his innings.

"We weren't as good as we should have been during the first two days but we produced a great fightback.

"We've got an inexperienced team but we've got guys with plenty of character.

"Whenever the chips have been down, we've fought back well this season."

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Anyone watching this match might question why Rudolph and Hussey are not bestriding the Test match stage.

Before the former raised Yorkshire's hopes of escaping with a draw, the latter produced a memorable masterclass.

Hussey had done the bulk of his work on the second day, accumulating 222 against a Yorkshire attack that failed to inspire.

Yesterday he progressed to his second-highest first-class score before Chris Read declared on 545-7, in the process recording the highest innings by a visiting batsman at Headingley in county cricket after Allan Lamb's 235 for Northamptonshire in 1990 and Mark Ramprakash's 235 for Middlesex in 1995.

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Only Darren Lehmann (339 and 252), Don Bradman (334 and 309), John Edrich (310*), Herbert Sutcliffe (270) and Wilfred Rhodes (267*) have produced higher innings at the Leeds venue.

Like Rudolph, Hussey makes batting look simple, one straight six off Ajmal Shahzad into the Rugby Stand highlighting his timing and brilliant eye.

Hussey looked as though he could have gone on until hell froze over but Read called a halt after Nottinghamshire added 48 runs during the first 20 minutes.

The only batsman to fall during that time was Paul Franks, caught by Jonathan Bairstow at deep-point off Shahzad for 61.

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When it was erroneously announced Adam Lyth was the catcher, Bairstow raised a laugh by taking off his cap to indicate he has hair – unlike his bald team-mate. Lyth, who has achieved the seemingly impossible feat this summer of out-scoring Rudolph, combined in a useful opening partnership of 58 with his colleague as Yorkshire set about their recovery task.

It took a superb catch to get rid of the 22-year-old, who was grasped by a diving Adams in the gully off Franks.

Rudolph, who gave a chance on 100 when he was put down by Ali Brown at slip off Samit Patel, also fell to a fine catch behind the wicket by Adams, this time off Darren Pattinson.

Anthony McGrath finished unbeaten on 78 from 253 balls after sharing a second-wicket stand of 211 with Rudolph.

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Yorkshire batsman Joe Root has been chosen for England Under-19s' five-match one-day series against Sri Lanka. The first game takes place at Fenner's tomorrow.

DISPLAY OF THE DAY

Jacques Rudolph

After David Hussey's 251 put Nottinghamshire in the box seat, Rudolph's 141 raised Yorkshire's hopes of forcing a draw. The South African faced 241 balls and struck 19 fours.

County Championship

Division One

Yorkshire v Nottinghamshire

Headingley Carnegie: Yorkshire trail by 95 with 8 2nd inns wkts standing.

Overnight: Yorkshire 178, Notts 497-6.

Yorkshire First Innings

A Lyth c Read b Sidebottom 0

J A Rudolph run out 1

A McGrath c Read b Adams 29

A W Gale lbw b Franks 24

J M Bairstow b Sidebottom 45

G L Brophy b Adams 5

A U Rashid lbw b Pattinson 13

A Shahzad c Read b Franks 17

D J Wainwright not out 20

S A Patterson lbw b S R Patel 10

O J Hannon-Dalby lbw b S R Patel 2

Extras b3 lb3 w2 nb4 12

Total (58.3 overs) 178

Fall: 1-0 2-5 3-36 4-82 5-89 6-104 7-136 8-144 9-176

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Bowling: Sidebottom 15 6 25 2; Pattinson 12 1 61 1; Franks 14 3 40 2; Adams 14 3 44 2; S R Patel 3.3 1 2 2.

Nottinghamshire First Innings

A D Hales c Brophy b Patterson 2

M J Wood lbw b Patterson 59

M A Wagh b Hannon-Dalby 4

S R Patel c Rudolph b A U Rashid 96

D J Hussey not out 251

P J Franks c Bairstow b Shahzad 61

A R Adams not out 13

Extras b5 lb5 w3 nb2 15

Total 7 wkts dec (117 overs) 545

Fall: 1-22 2-52 3-97 4-281 5-395 6-400 7-511

Did not bat: R J Sidebottom, D J Pattinson.

Bonus pts: Yorkshire 2 Nottinghamshire 8

Bowling: Shahzad 21 1 115 2; Patterson 29 3 110 3; Hannon-Dalby 22 1 104 1; A U Rashid 23 0 104 1; Wainwright 11 1 57 0; McGrath 10 1 32 0; Lyth 1 0 13 0.

Yorkshire Second Innings

A Lyth c Adams b Franks 37

J A Rudolph c Adams b Pattinson 141

A McGrath not out 78

S A Patterson not out 3

Extras b6 lb2 w1 nb4 13

Total 2 wkts (91 overs) 272

Fall: 1-58 2-269

Bowling: Sidebottom 16 5 34 0; Pattinson 11 0 56 1; Franks 16 3 46 1; Adams 20 8 42 0; S R Patel 24 0 75 0; Hussey 4 0 11 0;