Adam Lyth admitted his joy and relief at scoring his first hundred of 2022 to help Yorkshire into a commanding position at the halfway stage of their LV= Insurance County Championship clash with Warwickshire at Headingley.
Lyth’s unbeaten 118 helped Yorkshire, replying to a first-innings 244, end day two on 269-4, including a partnership of 157 for the fourth wicket with in-form Harry Brook, who made an equally excellent 82.
There was a lot of emotion in Lyth’s celebration when he reached three figures after tea, owing much to not cashing in on a couple of starts earlier in the season.
The opener also revealed personal reasons were at play, dedicating his 28th career first-class century to his wife Lily, who has been battling against illness but thankfully is improving: “It’s been a tough 12 months,” admitted the 34-year-old.
“The way me and George (Hill) came out and then Will (Fraine) came in and grafted so hard, we fought hard there and got our rewards towards the back end of the day.
“Harry came in and played unbelievably well, as he has done all year. He was free-scoring on a tough wicket.
“I don’t know how many balls I’ve faced there, but it must have been near 300 (285).
“Harry has come in and struck it with ease. Unfortunately, he didn’t get to a hundred. But he played fantastically well, and that partnership was fantastic for the side.
“It was a very different knock for me, but I just dug deep there. You saw how much it meant at the end to get a hundred.”
There had been previous on-field frustration for Lyth this summer.
“We’ve batted on some pretty good wickets, and I haven’t really cashed in,” he said, before assessing conditions and the state of the game.
“Two fifties at Northants and Gloucester, so there was a bit more determination to get three figures in this game.
“I think we played on this wicket against Northants last year and it seamed everywhere. This was a bit drier, but there was definitely more in it than previous weeks. They bowled well, and I was patient.
“Ottis has just said, ‘Keep playing the cricket you’ve been playing’. By and large, this game, we’ve done that.
“There’s a long way to go in the game, but if we can keep playing like we have then we’ll be in a good position in the game come tomorrow.”
And on Brook’s current form and his England Test call-up to the squad to face New Zealand at the start of next month, Lyth added: “I don’t think there’s anyone in the country hitting the ball as well as Harry is.
“If he got picked, I’m sure he’d do himself proud.
“There’s no better time for him to play at the minute. But I think it’s Pope at three and Jonny at five by what the media and England have said.
“If he gets the nod later in the summer, or against New Zealand, I’m confident he’ll do very well.”
