Jordan Buckingham praised his fellow overseas quick Ben Sears after the New Zealander steamed in late in the day to oust key man Ed Barnard to give Yorkshire a late-evening boost on day one against Warwickshire at Headingley.
The White Rose and the Bears traded blows during an action-packed 16-wicket day, which saw the visitors close on 161-6 in reply to 205 all out.
Both camps assessed the position of this Rothesay County Championship contest as evenly poised, though Barnard was threatening to give the visitors the advantage having made his way nicely into the forties.
Thankfully, Sears, who had earlier struck in his first over to get Hamza Shaikh caught behind, returned to get Barnard caught at second slip by Adam Lyth for 41, leaving the score at 156-6.
Sears (2-38 from 10 overs) and Australian Buckingham (1-51 from eight) shared three wickets. The former is on home debut, the latter on debut.
“We bowled pretty well in patches,” said Australia A bowler Buckingham.
“The first hour was decent. I know they got off to a flyer, but there were a lot of chances. Then our last hour there, that spell from Ben Sears was exceptional.
“I know he leaked a couple through one of the overs before he got that wicket. But he just bowls that quick that the ball just races away out here. So it’s actually quite fun watching him bowl, and I’m glad I’m not on the other team, that’s for sure.”
Overall, Buckingham said: “I think it was probably a good toss to win in the end, but there’s still plenty in the wicket.
“I think we’re right in the game. It’s probably pretty evenly poised at the moment.
“Mousley and Barnard put on a great partnership there. So to get one back and get the nightwatchman out there and put a few up him, hopefully we can get him early tomorrow and then run through them.”
He continued: “We scrapped hard (with the bat). We probably just lost wickets at crucial times there. But, as I said, I think it’s still bowler-friendly conditions and there’s plenty in the wicket.
“We managed to scrape to 200, and hopefully they’re not getting much past that.”
Buckingham arrived at Headingley only a few days ago ahead of a four-match overseas stint in Division One.
He has come over having helped South Australia win the state four-day and one-day double during the most recent season, which finished last month.
Asked how he has settled in with his second county, the former Northamptonshire man added: “Yeah, really well. It’s obviously a beautiful place. I always wanted to come to Headingley as a kid and watch the cricket, so to be out here playing is a dream come true.
“I probably wasn’t at my best today, but I definitely do come here with confidence.
“Hopefully I can go really well with the ball and help Yorkshire win games and look towards winning the comp.”
