James Wharton spoke of his frustration at Yorkshire’s disappointing end to day three at the Kia Oval, with three late wickets falling to keep Surrey firmly in the ascendancy.
Wharton was excellent for a watchful 67 and shared a fourth-wicket 84 through the heart of the evening session with his captain Jonny Bairstow, who made an unbeaten counter-attacking 64.
They recovered the county’s second innings from 83-3 to 167-3 and a deficit of 90. With those two at the crease, Yorkshire’s hopes of a draw were increasing.
Those hopes are not yet over, however the loss of three wickets in 13 balls – started with Wharton bowled by a Matthew Fisher in-swinger – has made life significantly tougher for the visitors.
“Just very frustrating, really,” said Wharton, who has made four half-centuries so far in this season’s Rothesay County Championship – all scores between 61 and 69.
“We were fighting back, but I’ve let them back in there and I’m gutted. But we will continue to fight and puff our chests out tomorrow.
“It’s that last bit that’s missing for us at the minute. When you get in, you need to cash in. We’re not doing that as a group, and individually I’m certainly not doing that.
“It’s slowed down a bit, but it’s still a good pitch.
“It’s just about sticking in on it for long enough and making good decisions for as long as you can out there.
“We’ve still got Jonny Bairstow at the crease, so the game’s not over yet.”
