Jordan Thompson made the most of an unexpected opportunity to help give Yorkshire the ideal start to their summer.
On day one of the Bob Willis Trophy, with Yorkshire facing North Group neighbours Durham at Emirates Riverside, the seamers were in mean mood.
Durham were bowled out for just 103 before the visitors closed on 84-4 in challenging batting conditions.
Seam bowling all-rounder Thompson is playing on his third first-class game having debuted around this time last year against Surrey at Guildford.
He wasn’t supposed to play, but an injury to fellow all-rounder Matthew Waite provided him with a chance to shine. And that is exactly what he did with 3-16 from 13 overs, backing up Ben Coad’s 4-23.
“I wasn’t (expecting to play) until yesterday,” he confirmed. “Unfortunately Matthew Waite has pulled out with an injury.
“I spoke to Andrew Gale midweek about the situation and moving forwards with squads. He said I would be in the squad and would get my chance depending on fitness of Waitey and Matthew Fisher.
“Unfortunately for Waitey he’s injured, which has meant I’ve stepped in. Thankfully I’ve done a decent job so far, and hopefully that can continue.”
Batting was challenging all day. Hence why it was a somewhat of a surprise that Durham chose to bat first upon winning the toss. It was a surprise to those outside of both dressing rooms, anyway!
“I think we were going to bat first as well,” revealed Thompson.
“It’s the type of wicket where if you put it in that area, you are going to get chances, as we found out. It’s a tough wicket, and we got our rewards because we bowled really well.
“On the flipside, with the bat it’s going to be a tough grind. We’ll have to build partnerships and dig in to score runs.
“We’ve spoken about the day and said it’s been a really good one. We’re 20 off their score having taken 10 wickets. If we get a decent lead and put pressure on them, we’ll be happy with that.”
Thompson went on: “We found quite a bit of swing, and with the help of the pitch it seamed around a bit.
“But it’s not a bad pitch at all. It’s a typical Durham pitch where you get help early doors, and we took advantage.”
