Ottis Gibson, the coach of Yorkshire, expressed his desire for a new grounds crew on the eve of the season to breathe life into Headingley’s playing surfaces as they seek to return to Division One at the first opportunity, but there have been no signs of an immediate cure against Leicestershire as a docile surface has put batters in control of the game and bowlers having to work for their rewards.
Despite all this, there is still a chance that this battle will end successfully on the last day. Yorkshire must time an awkward declaration on the last morning, earbuds in to ignore the screams from the outside of “declare,” as they lead by 322 runs with six wickets remaining.
They will undoubtedly require close to 370 to feel completely secure, and their failure to bowl teams out last season—Gloucestershire at Bristol was their only victory—will be top of mind. The prospect of a cloudy day might encourage them.
Despite Yorkshire’s consistent, sparsely penetrating bowling, quick bowlers on both teams must be suspicious of the speed-gun readings shown on the county’s live feed. Although it is easy to covertly speculate that TV firms enjoy turning them up a little (surely not), the reality appears to be the exact reverse.
They appear to be travelling at speeds that are about 4 mph slower than those shown on TV. Ben Coad would gladly offer a net session to demonstrate that he does not bowl at the same speed as the average club cricket player who might regularly practise against bowling machines set at 68/70mph.
The positive intent of both teams, but especially Yorkshire, who scored at a rate of more than five runs per over in the first innings and nearly did so again despite any potential restraints brought on by the loss of three wickets to the new ball after developing a first-innings lead of 102, is largely responsible for the fact that the game is still alive.
Those who prematurely yelled “declare” tonight would just as readily yell “rubbish, Yorkshire” the following day if things went south.
Naturally, hitters on both sides have experienced a great deal of personal satisfaction. In making 112 from 201 balls in his debut outing, Peter Handscomb, who was left out of Australia’s announcement of their annual contracts this week (Cameron Bancroft was another exclusion), would have found motivation.
International selectors don’t frequently look at Leicestershire’s scores first; nevertheless, Marcus Harris of Gloucestershire, who did receive a contract and also hit a century, appears to be ahead of him this summer as a potential Ashes contender.
However, Handscomb performed better than some of his teammates on Australia’s recent tour to India, and a confident innings suggested he is still holding out hope.
The Headingley pitch was described as “a lovely surprise” by him, which is arguably the best thing anyone has said about Yorkshire in a while. He has six games with Leicestershire to support his assertions.
In addition to Dawid Malan‘s continued dominance on this field and Finlay Bean’s first Championship hundred for Yorkshire, there was also a first Championship fifty for James Wharton and arguably the most peaceful innings of all, Shai Hope‘s blissful unbeaten 83 only a few days after arriving in England on a temporary contract.
Hope’s calmness made me think of how he scored two hundreds in a game on this field in 2017, the first time it had ever been done at Headingley, and how it placed him in an elite group of people who had done so.
They will be surprised at Headingley as to how his excellent ODI performances in the 38 Tests he has played have remained just half the size of his Test average of 25, which makes the two hundreds look increasingly lonesome.
Headingley’s head grounds manager, Andy Fogarty, serves as a consultant for Richard Robinson, who is primarily responsible for modifying the characteristics of the stadium’s fields.
It is unknown if anyone ever dared to suggest that a string of three-day finishes would be the quickest approach to fulfil Fogarty’s goal of no longer working full-time.
The fact that Jasmine Nicholls, a former international race walker, has become only the second woman to work on the groundstaff on an English international ground, at a time when diversity is a hot topic at Yorkshire, is especially noteworthy. Meg Ley, a farmer by heritage from New Zealand, made Bristol history last year.
The appointment of the first female president, Jane Powell, a former captain and head coach of England women, is another indication of Yorkshire’s serious commitment to altering the culture of the county.
These are all noteworthy turning points in Yorkshire’s history, and with Championship attendance undoubtedly declining this year and some former players criticising the racist tensions plaguing the county, Yorkshire will be desperate for an influx of fans to pledge allegiance to a new era once the T20 Blast kicks off.
At the start of the third day, Leicestershire were still more than 300 down, half the team had been dismissed, and Matt Salisbury was only healthy enough to bat with a runner.
Yorkshire must have hoped for a quick kill. However, Handscomb and Rehan Ahmed fought back with a sixth-wicket partnership of 141 runs in 34 overs.
The only worries came from missed run-out chances by Dom Bess and Wharton at the stumps; Wharton’s chance came as Handscomb sprinted a single to mid-off to secure his hundred. Yorkshire’s slip catching is still vulnerable to mistakes, as evidenced by George Hill and Bean’s missed opportunities.
Rehan was declared out for 85 in the first over following lunch, and Hill was able to hang on at first slip thanks to a catch by Jordan Thompson down the straight.
When Chris Wright was knocked around for an unbeaten 66 from 82 balls, the final two wickets added up to 83 runs. Handscomb fell lbw to a Coad shot that was shaded back.
Bess had spent the winter training with Australia’s Nathan Lyon, but after Wright smashed him for three sixes over long off, Bess finished with just 0 for 69 in 11 overs. In an Ashes year, never trust an Aussie.
