Bresnan takes timely four as bowlers dominate
Tim Bresnan kept in the frame for an England place in the first Test against India at Lord's next week by grabbing four Worcestershire wickets
11-Jul-2011
Tim Bresnan kept in the frame for an England place in the first Test against India at Lord's next week by grabbing four Worcestershire wickets on the first day of the County Championship match at Scarborough.
In conditions which aided seam and swing, Yorkshire bowled out their fellow Division One strugglers for 168 on a green-tinged pitch after sending them in to bat, Ryan Sidebottom also showing good form to pick up three wickets.
It was not entirely plain sailing for the Yorkshire batsmen either, but skipper Andrew Gale hit a robust unbeaten 68 for his side to close on 135 for 5, still trailing by 33.
Before the match started, wicketkeeper-batsman Jonny Bairstow, son of former Yorkshire captain David, received his county cap from skipper Gale and it was not long before he was celebrating with a catch behind the stumps.
By then, however, Worcestershire had lost both their openers in the first six overs, Matt Pardoe falling lbw to Sidebottom and Daryl Mitchell edging Bresnan to Adam Lyth at first slip.
Batsmen were finding survival difficult with the ball moving about appreciably and Vikram Solanki was dropped at second slip by Gary Ballance, but the miss was not expensive because in the same over he edged Richard Pyrah to provide Bairstow with his catch.
Pyrah and Ajmal Shahzad were proving just as formidable as the opening bowlers and after Moeen Ali had edged Shahzad into the slips, Worcestershire slipped to 41 for 5 when Alexei Kervezee was lbw to a dipping yorker from Pyrah.
There would have been a third wicket for Pyrah if Ballance had not dropped Gareth Andrew, who offered a chest-high chance to second slip and this miss was to prove costly because the left-hander went on to top score with 40.
The morning slump continued, however, as Ballance jubilantly held James Cameron off Sidebottom and Worcestershire went to lunch on 61 for 6 . But Andrew and Ben Scott boosted the total straight after the interval as Bresnan and Sidebottom suddenly leaked runs with 43 coming off three overs.
The chief culprit was Bresnan who went for 37 in four overs. The third ball of Shahzad's return saw Andrew given another chance, Adil Rashid failing to hold on at third slip.
This time Andrew did not cash in because in the next over from Sidebottom he drove low to Anthony McGrath at mid-off and Scott departed for a brave 26 when he tried to lift Bresnan over the arc and was held high at third slip by Rashid.
Light rain brought forward the tea interval and on the resumption Bresnan polished off the innings by getting rid of Jack Shantry and Alan Richardson with consecutive balls to leave Saeed Ajmal unbeaten on 27.
Yorkshire's reply got off to a bad start, Joe Root being run out without facing a ball when Richardson deflected Lyth's drive into the stumps and it became 15 for 2 with Lyth's edge at Shantry going into Scott's gloves.
But Anthony McGrath, desperate for runs, and Gale, put Yorkshire in command again with a productive third-wicket stand of 92 in 19 overs.
Gale took three boundaries and McGrath one in an over from Andrew which cost 19 and then Gale racked up five consecutive boundaries at the expense of off-spinner Ajmal, the fourth one rushing him to his half-century off 51 balls with 10 fours.
Yorkshire slid late in the day as McGrath was lbw to Richardson for 32, Bairstow was pinned lbw by Ajmal and Pyrah was run out without scoring, but Gale remained unbeaten at the close.
