Four-wicket seamer Matt Milnes believes a strong batting day tomorrow will leave Yorkshire in healthy shape to push for a win against Leicestershire at Headingley.
The Foxes enjoyed the better of a shortened day two of this opening round Vitality County Championship clash.
They recovered from 215-8 in the early stages of play to post 354 all out. Milnes himself claimed an excellent 4-73 and was the pick of the home bowlers.
“I’m pretty happy with that,” he said of his own display, before speaking about the state of the game.
“The ball went soft and the pitch went flat when the sun came out, so it was hard toil out there.
“I feel like they played well, and you have to give them credit. I don’t think we bowled too many bad balls at those guys at the end.
“When we put the ball in the right areas over a period of time, we went alright. That’s the sort of blueprint we’re looking for this year. We have four games with the Kookaburra ball this year, so we need to try and implement that as much as possible.
“If we bat all day tomorrow, I think we’ll be in a fairly healthy spot. It’s a fast-scoring ground and it’s hard to stop the boundaries.”
Milnes is starting his second season at Headingley, yet is only playing his third Championship match having suffered back-to-back stress fractures in his back since September 2022.
But the 29-year-old is confident brighter times are ahead, and his performance over the last couple of days definitely indicates as such.
He has been to Dubai and Abu Dhabi on two separate trips this winter and said he bowled 50 overs on each.
“I’m feeling good. I had a decent winter,” he added.
“Having played in September, that helped put me in good stead – mentally more than anything.
“I managed to go away twice in the winter and got a lot of overs, and in pre-season I feel in a completely different place to what I did last year. Long may that continue.
“I’ve done everything I can this winter to be ready and raring to go.”
