Ebb and flow

Posted by John Winn

About two o'clock yesterday afternoon the tide of The Roses' Match, which in the morning had flowed strongly in Lancashire's favour, was arrested and in quick time reversed, by aggressive batting from Pyrah more than ably supported by Sidebottom. With help from Tim Bresnan, both with bat and ball,Yorkshire found themselves at close of play in a position where a third championship victory of the season was a possibility.
In yesterday's posting I suggested that the morning session might'well determine who would take the winner's points'. So what has gone wrong, for there will be few cricket followers who would be prepared to say that, probably before lunch tomorrow, the Lancashire team coach will not be heading westwards along the M62 with a victory that will see them at the top of the championship table.
Yet all did go Yorkshire's way before lunch today with five Lancashire wickets falling in the session but just, as on Thursday, the afternoon saw a dramatic reversal of fortune, so did today and again it was brought about by two batsmen in the side primarily for their bowling.For Pyrah and Sidebottom read Mahmood and Hogg.The third fifty of Lancashire's innings came up at almost a run a ball with both batsmen playing aggressive but orthodox cricket.The introduction of Rashid was something of a gamble, but it brought instant success when he bowled Mahmood in his first over and not long after the innings closed when Hogg was run out.
This set Yorkshire 289 to win when at lunchtime something closer to 200 had seemed a real possibility. During an extended interval caused by rain and bad light, I spent time in the long room with Brian Sanderson and others closer to the heart of Yorkshire cricket than me and I had the temerity to suggest that the target might be fifty too many.To my surprise I found that the consensus was that the deficit was at least 100 if not 150 beyond Yorkshire's capabilities.
At close of play Yorkshire are 148 in arrears with only four wickets in hand. I will spare you the details, for they are available elsewhere and some may prefer not to know them but suffice to say when Gale and Sidebottom resume the innings tomorrow then should the best happen one or more of Yorkshire's remaining batsmen will have achieved great things. Those among the excellent crowds on Thursday afternoon when Yorkshire were 45 for 8 made alternative plans for Saturday may tonight feel their forward planning was sensible.