Dom Bess is targeting a breakthrough with the old ball and then to push on with the new as Yorkshire look to plot a route to victory against Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl.
The England off-spinner reflected on a “pretty good” second day of the ongoing LV= Insurance County Championship, which has seen Hampshire close on 225-4 in in reply to Yorkshire’s first-innings 428.
Bess started the day with an unbeaten 51 as the visitors advanced from 324-5. He then bowled 19 overs for 53.
Yorkshire will start day three with an old ball for 11 overs before having the option of a new one as they bid for a second win of the Division One season.
“If we can get two opportunities with the old ball in the morning, we’ll have done a really good job,” said Bess.
“Take one of them and we’ll get Fuller and Barker in. They’re good players, but they’re no Dawson or Brown, who are top order players. Then we’re right into it and looking at maybe a 100 lead.”
He went on: “I think that’s a pretty good day.
“Had we taken our opportunities, it would have been a great day.
“It’s good that we got 400 on the board, we set it up nicely. Our initial aim was to get 350, and there was a point where I thought we might sneak 400.
“Then we had them 20-2 and 120-4. We were quite loose to start with and then tied it up.
“It’s a good wicket. It’s true if you get in, but it keeps you honest. It’s got live grass and it carries. I was also getting bounce there. Then, if you bat well, you’ll score your runs.
“We’ve got ourselves in a position to win games, and hopefully we can do that again here.
“But if we don’t, we’ll hopefully come away with a good haul of points.
“It’s not a 100-metre race, it’s over a season. We need to get to September and be in and around it to really compete. Things can happen very quickly in September.”
And as to whether he thinks the pitch might deteriorate later in the game, he was hopeful but not certain, adding: “I want to say it will go up and down a bit more. It’s very dry underneath, there are quite a few cracks. But the grass is holding it together.”
