Adam Lyth and Tom Kohler-Cadmore are about to complete the set this weekend – opening the batting in all three formats of the game for Yorkshire.
The duo, regular openers in one-day and T20 cricket for the White Rose, will unite at the top of the county’s four-day order against Durham at Emirates Riverside to begin the Bob Willis Trophy.
It is an extremely rare occurrence in modern day cricket for a county to field the same opening partnership across all three formats.
Derbyshire did it regularly last year with Billy Godleman and Luis Reece, but no other county did.
A middle order regular in recent years, Kohler-Cadmore has pressed his claim for the four-day opener’s berth at Yorkshire, scoring an unbeaten 165 against the new ball in last season’s final game against Warwickshire at Edgbaston.
The England Lions man then joined Lyth in opening in the two-day friendly against Lancashire at Emerald Headingley on Friday, scoring 70. They shared a partnership of 170, with Lyth going on to score a century.
It says a heck of a lot about their versatility as players that they can flourish in all situations.
“Myself and Tommy worked brilliantly (against Lancashire),” said Lyth.
“He played beautifully and got out to a good catch, which nine times out of 10 would have gone for four. The scoreboard’s ticking, which is always nice.
“Tom hasn’t opened the batting that much. But the way he played against Warwickshire last year, getting that 165 not out, shows he’s got the temperament and technique to score big runs.
“I had him down for a hundred (on Friday), but he’d have taken that before he started – two and a half hours at the crease or maybe a bit more.
“We get on really well, and it’s nice that we’re both getting runs.
“We’ve got a big job to do up at Durham.
“It will be tough conditions up there with two good opening bowlers. But hopefully we can do the same again and drive the game forward.
“Anywhere with the new ball in England is tough, but here at Headingley and the Riverside I’d probably say are the toughest place to open the batting.
“We won’t be playing any different – bad balls put them away and try and keep out the good ones.”
Kohler-Cadmore, 25, has scored 3,447 runs in 77 matches across all formats for Yorkshire since moving from Worcestershire in mid-2017. He has scored five first-class hundreds and one in one-day cricket.
In three innings as a four-day opener, he has posted 78, 12 and 165 not out.
In the winter, he toured Australia with the England Lions and was named in England’s extended 55-man ‘back to training’ squad earlier this summer.
Both Andrew Gale and Martyn Moxon have already spoken of the Kent-born player’s international potential, and Lyth agrees.
“He’s definitely got that in him,” he said.
“His white ball form over the last two years has been fantastic, and if he keeps playing the way he has you can definitely see it in red ball as well.”
