Durham take charge on truncated day
Leaders Durham reduced Yorkshire to 170 for 9 in the 53 overs which were bowled in the Division One match at Chester-le-Street after the first day was washed out
19-Jun-2011
Leaders Durham reduced Yorkshire to 170 for 9 in the 53 overs which were bowled in the Division One match at Chester-le-Street after the first day was washed out. Three wickets for the impressive Graham Onions and two for Steve Harmison, playing together for the first time since August 2009, had Yorkshire rocking on 90 for 6 after being put in.
Adil Rashid, with 47, then dominated a stand of 58 with Richard Pyrah before three wickets went down for four runs. Two of those went to Paul Collingwood, making his first Championship appearance since his solitary game last season.
Although Onions came back with a hostile spell, Ajmal Shahzad and Steve Patterson held out for the last 10 overs. Rashid was the top scorer but he made most of his runs against the back-up bowlers and the best innings was played by Jonny Bairstow.
Going in at 28 for 3 he looked in a different class from his team-mates, reaching 24 before bad light, followed by rain, halted play at 12.18pm. Opener Joe Root had survived comfortably enough but failed to add to his 27 when play resumed at 4.30pm.
Harmison, returning after a three-week absence with a back injury, took his wickets straight after the break. Steep bounce persuaded Root to edge the third ball, which was brilliantly
caught low to his left by Scott Borthwick at third slip. Left-hander Gary Ballance lasted only five balls before Harmison forced him to play on.
But Bairstow continued to look untroubled and after hitting eight fours it was a surprise when he departed for 38, driving wide of off stump and edging Onions to Collingwood at first slip. Yorkshire left out Joe Sayers and recalled Adam Lyth, who edged the sixth ball of the day from Onions to Michael Di Venuto at second slip without a run on the board.
Anthony McGrath's struggle for form continued as he made three before falling lbw to Callum Thorp when half forward. Yorkshire captain Andrew Gale made nine before shaping to play Onions on the leg side, only for extra bounce and movement to find the edge on the way to
Borthwick at third slip.
Rashid hit eight fours before gloving a leg-side catch to Phil Mustard off Collingwood and the same combination accounted for Ryan Sidebottom. Pyrah was run out by Borthwick in a mix-up with Shahzad, who was unbeaten on nine at the close.
