Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Dawid Malan hoists one of his four sixes in a superb 64 today.
Dawid Malan’s imperious morning 64 off 45 balls was not enough to prevent Yorkshire from enduring a difficult day two against now in-control Nottinghamshire at Headingley.
The White Rose will require something extremely memorable to turn their seventh-round Rothesay County Championship fixture around having been bowled out for 159 in reply to a first-innings 228.
The visitors, leading by 69 at the beginning of their second innings during the early stages of the afternoon, built on that with 227-3 from 61 overs, a lead of 296.
Pakistan Test seamer Mohammad Abbas excelled for the visitors with 6-45 from 17.3 overs, including four of those wickets today – two of them in as many balls after lunch.
Ben Slater and Joe Clarke then underpinned Nottinghamshire’s second innings with their respective second fifties of the match. Slater top-scored with 78 off 125 balls and Clarke added a fluent 73 off 92.
Yorkshire started the day on 10-2 with Jack White and James Wharton at the crease.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Nottinghamshire’s Mohammad Abbas excelled for his six wickets, four of which came today.
They lost Wharton early to the pace of Dillon Pennington, caught at first slip – 15-3, before nightwatchman White and Malan, who hit eight four and four sixes, decided the best form of defence was attack.
White’s 18 included a quartet of boundaries, one a particularly eye-catching calypso style pull off an Abbas short ball which stood up as they shared 37. Unfortunately, that it was the highest partnership of the innings and one of only two over 30, was a key reason why the White Rose find themselves under the pump.
Malan drove imperiously and hoisted his quartet of sixes over the leg-side, reaching his fifty off only 34 balls upon his return to the side following three games out with a groin injury.
Supplementing Abbas’s six-for were two wickets apiece for fellow seamers Pennington and Brett Hutton.
Hutton had Harry Duke caught behind and Malan lbw playing to leg, and when Abbas claimed his first wicket of the day by rocking back George Hill’s middle stump with one which kept low and jagged back, Yorkshire were 107 for seven in the 34th over of the innings.
After lunch, Abbas claimed his fourth and fifth wickets in successive balls as Yorkshire slipped to 124 for nine. Captain Dom Bess edged to fourth slip and Jordan Thompson to first.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Dawid Malan celebrates his half-century against Nottinghamshire.
Matthew Revis, with 27, and Ben Coad shared 35 for the last wicket, but it was only brief respite as the former dragged on to Abbas as Yorkshire’s reply was wrapped up inside 45 overs.
Abbas, aged 35, claimed his 49th haul of five wickets or more in first-class cricket.
Unfortunately, during the afternoon and evening, Yorkshire’s bowlers were unable to create the same kind of pressure.
There was still plenty in the pitch, but they didn’t make the most of it.
That continued help was indicated when Thompson had Notts’ captain Haseeb Hameed caught behind with a beauty for 33 – one that bounced and nipped away to end an opening stand of 73 inside 16 overs.
After tea, where the leaders had reached at 113-2 with a lead of 182, Slater also wore a ball in the chest from White which had reared up from back of a length.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Jack White pulls a boundary in an entertaining 18 at the start of the day.
While he didn’t look as fluent as Malan, left-hander Slater has been up there for the tag contest’s most successful batter having posted 52 in the first innings.
He shared 70 for the third wicket with Clarke, who was fluent in reaching his second fifty of the contest – this off 55 balls. He can lay claim to that aforementioned tag alongside Slater.
Just before Clarke’s milestone, Revis removed Slater caught behind with one that nipped away – 173-3 in the 43rd.
Notts’ continued on and end the day with a lead nigh on 300, whilst Yorkshire were also frustrated by a couple of dropped catches.
Clarke shared an unbroken 54 for the fourth wicket with Jack Haynes, who reached 13.
