Yorkshire defied by Kabir and Briggs
Yorkshire were unable to force a victory over Hampshire despite dynamic bowling by Tim Bresnan and Ryan Sidebottom on a tense final day
14-May-2011
Yorkshire were unable to force a victory over Hampshire despite dynamic bowling by Tim Bresnan and Ryan Sidebottom on a tense final day of their County Championship match at Headingley.
Hampshire were twice in big trouble, at 7 for 4 and later on 130 for 8, but Kabir Ali and Danny Briggs survived the final 13.4 overs to claim the draw. The visitors had been set a target of 289 to win off 59 overs but in the end they were happy to close on 153 for 8, leaving Yorkshire still searching for their first home Championship win of the season.
And there was further concern for Yorkshire when Bresnan had to leave the field with a tight calf muscle at 102 for 6 after bowling a second spell of three overs. Bresnan was unable to take the field again and director of professional cricket, Martyn Moxon, confirmed it was the same calf muscle which the England all-rounder injured during the World Cup.
Fears that Yorkshire had batted too long before declaring six overs into the afternoon session on 165 for 8 appeared unfounded as Bresnan picked up three wickets and Sidebottom one in the space of 14 balls at a cost of just one run.
Openers Jimmy Adams and Liam Dawson had scraped together only six runs by the eighth over when Bresnan sent both of them packing in three deliveries, Dawson falling lbw to one which kept low and Adams departing to a great catch at the second attempt by Joe Root at short leg.
Johann Myburgh was lbw to the first ball of the next over from Sidebottom and the slump continued as Neil McKenzie was also lbw driving at Bresnan. A double bowling change brought on Steve Patterson and Ajmal Shahzad - Bresnan resting with figures of 5-3-2-3 - and Patterson kept up the pressure by having James Vince caught low down at second slip by Adil Rashid and bowling Nic Pothas off stump.
Hampshire were 54 for 6 but captain Dominic Cork was not prepared to give in easily after capturing eight wickets in the match and he soon notched the eight runs he required to complete 10,000 in first class cricket.
There was plenty of fight left in Sean Ervine, also, and as the stand developed he cut Sidebottom for four to reach his 50 off 62 balls with seven boundaries. The pair had added 73 in 19 overs and Yorkshire were becoming increasingly anxious when Cork was dismissed lbw by Rashid for 22 and three runs later the leg-spinner bagged the crucial wicket of Ervine who drove gently to captain Andrew Gale at mid-off.
Amid mounting tension, Kabir and Briggs managed to whittle down the overs and neither the return of Shahzad nor the spin of Rashid was able to shift them.
Yorkshire embarked on the final day on 62 for 3 with an overall lead of 185 but their progress was severely restricted by excellent bowling by Kabir who took four of the five wickets to fall.
The only batsman to make any real progress was Gerard Brophy with an unbeaten 37 but he suffered painful blows on the right hand from both Cork and Ali and had to go to hospital for an X-ray which showed bruising and swelling around his thumb, his place in the field being taken by Gary Ballance.
