You’ve got to pick a pocket or two, boys…
Day Two
Well, Yorkshire has been hit by the first injury of the season, as my hip is playing up something rotten. The physio reckons I was lying in a funny position during my sleep, which is possible I suppose, given my accommodation is a bit on the cramped side. As on all away trips, the team stay at the travel lodge nearest the local McDonalds, whilst I bed down in the luggage compartment of the coach. I know that sounds a bit hard going on a 77-year-old, but it’s like Mr Regan says – look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves. He told me that through his office window, as he doesn’t let me inside in case the air-conditioning he had installed sets off my chilblains. He’s like that is Mr Regan, always thinking of our best interests.
No room at the Inn: My home from home on Yorkshire away days.
For the first half of the day, the lads were able to put their feet up and watch Dizzy and Brez scatter the Surrey fielders to the boundary. It’s not often you can relax when you’re that low in the batting order, but even Dizzy’s ‘geriatric searching for a penny on the floor’ batting stance started to look like it had a Dravid like solidity. Bar a couple of chances early in the day, the only way Surrey looked like getting someone back in the pavilion was to convince them Angelina Jolie was waiting in the showers. After today’s performance they’d deserve it if she were.
Angelina Jolie: Has no immediate plans to shower with Tim Bresnan.
Brez was the more circumspect of the two and it wasn’t until the spinners were brought on late in the morning session that he started to hit out. Gillespie was excellent throughout, punishing anything wide, of which there was plenty, and generally putting them to the sword. After tea there was some cautious batting as they neared their respective tons, with Tim dropped on 99. But once those milestones were passed they started to play some expansive shots until Brez was stumped, ending both the innings and a record 246 run partnership.
Incidentally, those of you who have read the 2007 Country Cricketers Who’s Who may have noticed Dizzy’s comment that batsmen shouldn’t raise their bats when reaching a fifty. For the record, he did exactly that today and followed it with an odd looking one-legged bow after getting to three figures. The big hypocritical Aussie show-off.
Jason Gillespie: Has read all seven Harry Potter books, making him one of Australia’s leading intellectuals.
Surrey bowled badly today, really badly. I’m not sure the bowlers could have hit their own backside with a tambourine, let alone found a decent line and length. Only the second spell from Mahmood slowed things down for a while with the other bowlers being a big disappointment. Far too much width was given to the batsmen, who weren’t even taking risks, just waiting for the bad ball, which duly came at least once an over. To be honest the only bowler to come out with any credit was Rikki Clake, who used the captain’s prerogative by not bringing himself on at all.
Surrey Captain, Rikki Clarke: A riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma, encased beneath Plug from the Bash Street Kids
When it was Yorkshires turn to bowl, we found the pitch just as flat and unforgiving as the Surrey attack. Despite an early breakthrough by Hoggard with the new ball, it was looking increasingly likely that the only winner of the match was going to be the batsmen’s averages. What Bresnan and Gillespie could do, so it seemed an increasingly fluent Scott Newman and Mark Ramprakash could do better. Ramprakash in particular was looking in the kind of form that brought him 2,000 runs last year. There have been a few people suggesting the move up to first division cricket might slow him down, but if the Oval pitch remains as flat as Keira Knightley he’ll still be the most prized wicket in county cricket.
However, Ramprakash can only bat at one end at a time and for the final hour of the day had to watch whilst Young Adil took the game away from Surrey again, this time with four quick wickets. The first to go was Newman, playing a tired looking shot when his partnership with Ramps was just a boundary shy of 200. From then on there was a steady procession, as players came in, immediately hit the self distruct button, then shuffled off again. I know English county players don’t face much leg-spin, but a couple of them tonight looked like six-formers faced with a particularly difficult geometry paper.
Watching from the dressing room as Adil bowled, gave the feeling of looking down whilst the Artful Dodger walked through a crowded Victorian thourghafare, emerging at the other end with a handful of wallets. Come stumps, Surrey were left scratching heads as to where their middle order had disappeared and coming to the realisation that Rashid had given Yorkshire a foot in the door.
Wot’s that Guvnor? I don’t know nuffin about your middle order…
So another great day for Yorkshire, with Dizzy and Brez batting Surrey out of the game, before a brilliant spell of bowling from Rashid that has changed the nature of the game. For now, Ramprakash is all that stands between us and a huge first innings lead.
Si’thee later,
Len
End of 2nd days play – Yorkshire 594/9dec, Surrey 237/5
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