Durham hold off Yorkshire after tense, late challenge

10:16am Monday 21st April 2008

DURHAM began their defence of the Friends Provident Trophy by turning a victory stroll into a frantic scramble against depleted Yorkshire at Riverside yesterday.

Needing 221 to win, the visitors were 140 for eight in the 42nd over when Ajmal Shahzad joined Tim Bresnan. But the target was down to six off two balls when Bresnan was last out for 55, driving a slower ball from Graham Onions to Dale Benkenstein at extra cover The target still looked way beyond Yorkshire with 63 needed off six overs, but it was down to 44 off four when Neil Killeen returned.

His first seven overs with the new ball had seen him take two for 11, but both Bresnan and Shahzad drove him for six as 22 came off the 47th over.

With 15 needed, Shahzad drove the first ball of Killeen's next over into the hands of Liam Plunkett at long-off and the target came down to 11 off the last over, but Onions' bravery in bowling two slower balls did the trick.

A debut innings of 77 by South African Neil McKenzie, backed by excellent bowling, laid the foundations for Durham's fiverun victory.

As a batting unit last August's Lord's heroes were a little below par against a depleted attack, but their superior bowling ensured that a total of 220 looked well beyond Yorkshire until the ninthwicket pair put on 66 in seven overs.

Durham coach Geoff Cook said: "We would have been happy with 200 and for the last two wickets to put on 41 was a big help.

"We bowled extremely throughout the innings. We might have got more yorkers in at the end but the ball was always seaming enough to encourage bowlers to bowl a wicket-taking length.

"A few catches went down, but three of them were very sharp chances to slip and in this cold weather they are very difficult."

Killeen took Yorkshire's first two wickets, Steve Harmison struck with the first ball of both his spells, and there were two stumpings for Phil Mustard.

But McKenzie was Sky TV's Man of the Match after showing his class by adjusting to conditions better than his team-mates a day after his arrival in the North-East.

He had made only nine when he was perilously close to lbw attempting a slog/sweep off the medium pace of Richard Pyrah, but it didn't stop him going for the same shot off the next ball and it flew high over the midwicket boundary.

The loss of Benkenstein shortly afterwards persuaded McKenzie to set out his stall to bat through the innings and there were only 16 balls left when he was run out.

The rest of the over did not cast the batsmen's efforts in a good light as Killeen hit the first two balls he faced for superblytimed fours with a spanking cut and a cover drive.

He had put on 18 with Harmison before his partner was bowled by the first ball of the final over.

Yorkshire were without their three leading seamers in skipper Darren Gough, M a t t h e w H o g g a r d a n d M o r n e M o r k e l , who is supposed to be d e p u t i s - ing for R a n a N a v e d - u l - Hasan for the first month.

It transpires that Morkel could miss the first two weeks because of commitments in South Africa's domestic Twenty20 competition, further underlining the disruptive nature of the latest craze as it did not delay McKenzie.

Gough continues to struggle with a back problem which is likely to rule him out of Y o r k s h i r e ' s first championship match, while Hoggard has a stiff neck and a touch of flu.

Acting captain Anthony McGrath put Durham in and they were initially guilty of over-ambition, despite the loss of Michael Di Venuto.

The Tasmanian had a surprisingly lean time in one-day cricket last season and had made only two when he left a ball from Bresnan which swung in slightly to hit off stump.

Mustard hit four fours in reaching 25 off 22 balls before skying an unnecessary heave with the total on 46 in the ninth over, and when Kyle Coetzer was bowled by a fast off-cutter from Shahzad in the next over Durham had to throttle back.

S h a h z a d , who looked to have put on a yard of pace, was the pick of the bowlers, but the slowness of the pitch allowed Mc- Grath to c o m p e n s a t e for the big guns' absence by squeezing 17 overs out of himself and Pyrah.

B e n k e n s t e i n twice inside-edged Shahzad for four in putting on 29 in nine overs with McKenzie before the captain chipped a low catch off Pyrah to m i d - w i c k e t , which was well held by Craig White.

B e n Harmison c o n - t r i b - u t e d 21 to a stand of 59 in 15 overs before playing across a gentle swinger from McGrath and falling lbw.

McKenzie had faced 123 balls and hit five fours and two sixes when an athletic follow-up, turn and shy by the bowler, Bresnan, left him well short.

Yorkshire were able to settle for a cautious start against excellent bowling from Onions and Killeen.

The total was only 12 when Andrew Gale, on two, pulled the last ball of the seventh over for four, but as soon as the runs started to flow both left-handed openers fell to Killeen.

South African Jacques Rudolph drove wide of off stump and edged to Mustard and two overs later Gale inexplicably went down the track and was stumped.

When Plunkett replaced Onions he speared the second ball down the leg side but was accurate and threatening thereafter.

He had one good lbw appeal against McGrath turned down before the next was upheld, then Harmison replaced Killeen at 49 for three after 17 overs. His first ball was just short of a length just outside off stump and when Brophy tried to force it away with a crooked bat he dragged it into his stumps.

There were two wides before the over was out, but Yorkshire dug themselves deeper into the mire in the next over when Adil Rashid went for a suicidal single to mid-on and was run out by Onions.

Breese turned one to have lefthander Adam Lyth stumped for 21, Ben Harmison had White lbw then held the catch at deep midwicket to get rid of Pyrah off the first ball of his brother's second spell.

At that point it looked all over but Bresnan's 52-ball half-century ensured a gripping climax.

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