Picture by Dan Istitene/Getty Images. Warwickshire batter Sam Hain completed an unbeaten 164 at Edgbaston today.
Yorkshire face a mountainous task to avoid defeat in their Rothesay County Championship match against Warwickshire on day four at Edgbaston.
The White Rose were set a target of 549 at tea on day three after Sam Hain’s ruthless 164 not out underpinned the home side’s mammoth second-innings total of 553-6 declared.
Yorkshire then faced 32 overs in the evening session and reached close on 98-5. Matthew Revis contributed a pleasing unbeaten 37. The target can clearly be ruled out. Yorkshire’s sole task tomorrow is batting for the draw.
The county’s position in this fixture is a far cry from day one, which they closed on 110-4 in their first-innings reply to 147 all out. Since then, it has been one-way traffic in the Bears’ favour.
Warwickshire started day three on 267-3 from 77 overs, a lead of 262 and with Hain unbeaten on 43.
The White Rose had the new ball available three overs into the day. It was actually delayed briefly by Jonny Bairstow until the start of the 83rd over, and George Hill struck with it in the 86th when he trapped Australian Beau Webster lbw for 32 with one angled back in.
That left Warwickshire at 293-4 with a lead of 288, ending a fourth-wicket partnership of 64 between him and Hain.
Talking of partnerships, every one of Warwickshire’s partnership topped 50 aside from the unbroken seventh between Hain and Jordan Thompson. That was cut short on 46 by the declaration.
Hain was classy but far from expansive in this innings – on an easing pitch – which supplemented his 57 in the first innings.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Matthew Revis plugged away with the ball for 1-71 from 19 overs before ending day three unbeaten on 37.
His fifth-wicket partner Ed Barnard, the Warwickshire captain, was more adventurous for 60 off 46 balls, including a trio of pulled leg-side sixes off the seam of Ben Cliff and Logan van Beek.
Those two shared 98 inside 19 overs before Barnard top-edged a pull at van Beek down to Cliff at long-leg during the latter stages of the morning – 391-5 in the 104th over.
Hain reached his century – his first in first-class cricket since September 2024 – off 252 balls approximately 50 minutes into the afternoon, by which stage Warwickshire were 436-5, leading by 431.
They ploughed on. Hain and Zen Malik (57) shared 116 for the sixth wicket before the latter was caught at deep cover off Dom Bess’s off-spin.
Yorkshire did not flog key seamers Jack White and Hill today, no doubt with Surrey at Headingley in mind next weekend. Realistically, from lunchtime onwards today, the horse had bolted in terms of bowling Warwickshire out.
Those two returned the pick of the figures, each striking once apiece. White went for 28 runs in 16 overs and Hill 38 in 14. Warwickshire got after two other seamers in van Been and Cliff, both who conceded 100 runs or more and went at more than five runs an over.
Hain never really got out of third gear in his innings. He scored a lot of his runs off his legs and was happy to reverse sweep against the spin of Bess.
The only explanation for Warwickshire batting on as long as they did was to grind Yorkshire down mentally. After all, they spent 141 overs in the field.
Had the visitors been able to chase this target down, it would have been a worldwide first-class record. The record current stands at 541-7 by West Zone against South Zone in India’s Duleep Trophy in February 2010.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. George Hill has a big job to do with the bat tomorrow.
In Championship cricket, Middlesex chased 502 to beat Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge in 1925.
But Warwickshire struck early with the new ball thanks to the seam of Ethan Bamber, who trapped Fin Bean lbw and bowled James Wharton as he attempted to leave alone. And when he had Adam Lyth lbw pushing forward, Yorkshire were 14-3 in the ninth over.
Revis and Brook then took the sting out of the situation and played nicely as Yorkshire went beyond 50.
Brook, however, did get a life on 19 when he top-edged an attempted pull at Barnard’s seam in between mid-wicket and mid-on. Malik and Michael Booth went for the catch, collided and were left in a heap on the ground. It was difficult to see who dropped the catch, but it was nasty collision and both had to leave the field.
Unfortunately for Brook, he didn’t last too much longer because, on 26, he drilled a return catch to Thompson as Yorkshire fell to 73-4 in the 24th over, ending a 59-run stand.
In the next over, Barnard bowled Bairstow without scoring – 74-5.
Revis and Hill ensured there was no further damage through to close.
