YORKSHIRE V DERBYSHIRE
It was a tale of runs and rain at Headingley as Yorkshire and Derbyshire played out a high-scoring draw.
There were tons for England pair Joe Root and Harry Brook in Yorkshire’s first innings as the White Rose declared on 450-5, with ex England man Adam Lyth scoring 97.
Root (119) and Brook (126) added 201 for the fourth wicket with the Derbyshire bowlers being put to the sword by a Test-quality pairing for the second game in a row after Aussies Peter Handscomb and Marcus Harris made them suffer last week.
Root’s knock was more measured, occupying the crease for 190 balls as opposed to Brook’s, which came at a strike rate of almost 100, the attacking right-hander hitting 17 fours and two sixes in his 135-ball stay.
Earlier in the piece, captain Shan Masood made a 25-ball 40, scoring all his runs in boundaries as Yorkshire raced along on the first morning having lost Finlay Bean for 18 to Anuj Dal.
Yorkshire had Derbyshire rocking at 25-3 after early wickets for Matt Fisher and Ben Coad before an injured Wayne Madsen and wicketkeeper Brooke Guest led a fight back to take the Midlands side 190-3 at the close of day two.
Day three was totally washed out before Derbyshire lost Guest (75) early on day four, then Madsen (104) completed his century.
Aneurin Donald made an aggressive 97 amongst a couple of quick wickets for Jordan Thompson (2-82) that threatened to turn the tide back in Yorkshire’s favour before Donald was joined by Zak Chappell, who cracked 78 off 61 balls.
Derbyshire were all out for 447, Matt Fisher finishing with 4-96 and Root 3-78 before Yorkshire declared on 59-1 and the game was called a draw.
Yorkshire Head Coach Ottis Gibson praised his spearhead Matt Fisher after the match: “When he’s doing what he did on Saturday, he’s an international-class bowler,” said Gibson.
“If we can have that from him, he will win games bowling like that. If he wants to play for England, that’s where he’s going to have to go every time he bowls for Yorkshire. It was fantastic.”
Gibson was left frustrated after reportedly offering Derbyshire the chance to make a game of it following the rain.
“We offered them 400 in 80 overs or whatever. But they didn’t go for that. I said, ‘You tell us what you’re happy to be chasing’. Nothing came back.
“Division Two is tough to get out of, and this is why personally I don’t like eight points for a draw. We have to try and win games and put ourselves in a position to win games, which we have.
“But when the weather plays a part and that’s the option, to try and elevate the game a little bit more, it’s a little bit disappointing when it doesn’t happen.”
Derbyshire’s Head of Cricket,
