10:57am Monday 26th July 2010
AJMAL Shahzad picked the perfect time and place to record his best ever bowling figures in a competitive oneday match as Yorkshire blew Middlesex away to maintain their 100 percent start to the Clydesdale Bank 40 competition at Lord’s yesterday.
Less than four hours after being confirmed in England’s Test squad for Thursday’s match against Pakistan at Trent Bridge, the 24-year-old was bowling the Group B leaders to a fifth win.
He took five wickets against Sri Lanka A in 2007, but yesterday’s haul of 4-34 was his best in a meaningful competition as the hosts could only post 183-9 batting first.
Jacques Rudolph then underpinned Yorkshire’s chase with a flawless 86 not out off 115 balls, clinching the two points with 18 balls to spare.
Not only did Shahzad mark his first match at the spiritual home of cricket in fine style, he also proved beyond any doubt that he has recovered from the hamstring and ankle injuries which have dogged him for the last fortnight.
“I was happy with the way I performed,” he said. “I was a little bit expensive early on, but I pulled it back well.
“We made the best of a slow wicket.”
The only player in England’s 12-man squad for Thursday’s first Test to be involved in county action yesterday, it was plain to see that national team director Andy Flower needed some reassurances that Shahzad was good to go. He got them.
“I wasn’t 100 per cent, but I’m fit and ready to go, I’m fine. Hopefully I’ll get the nod to play,” confirmed Shahzad.
He took a wicket with his second ball, that of Scott Newman caught behind by Jonny Bairstow.
He also bowled Tom Scollay (32) in the 38th over before Tom Smith was caught at mid off by David Wainwright and Shaun Udal was caught and bowled in his last over.
Tim Bresnan’s name was, somewhat surprisingly, not in the 12 for Trent Bridge, and he will be back with his county for the foreseeable future.
But he did not show any signs of disappointment, returning a tidy haul of two for 32 from his eight overs after taking the new ball, claiming the wickets of Neil Dexter and the dangerous Owais Shah.
Wainwright also added a couple of wickets, while fellow spinner Adil Rashid struck once.
Rudolph and Andrew Gale (39) shared an opening stand of 102 inside 21 overs, their second century partnership of the competition, to put the result to bed.
The 29 year-old, who has now passed 50 four times out of five, also shared a stand of 65 with Adam Lyth (34) for the second wicket. Rudolph completed the victory with his seventh boundary off Shah.
Yorkshire next face Gloucestershire at Bristol on Thursday afternoon.
Middlesex v Yorkshire At Lord’s
Middlesex Innings
N J Dexter c Patterson b Bresnan .........25
S A Newman c Bairstow b Shahzad ...... 1
O A Shah c Bairstow b Bresnan ............ 7
D J Malan c Pyrah b Wainwright ...........28
G K Berg c Gale b Wainwright ...............40
J A Simpson c Bairstow b A U Rashid .. 7
T E Scollay b Shahzad ........................32
T M Smith c Wainwright b Shahzad ......18
S D Udal c & b Shahzad ...................... 6
T J Murtagh not out ............................ 0
Extras (b2 lb4 w11 nb2 pens 0) ..19
Total 9 wkts Innings Complete (40 overs) ............................183
Fall: 1-3 2-35 3-38 4-99 5-113 6-126 7- 172 8-181 9-183
Did Not Bat: P T Collins.
Bowling: Bresnan 8-1-32-2. Shahzad 8-0- 34-4. Patterson 8-0-29-0. A U Rashid 8-0- 39-1. Pyrah 2-0-12-0. Wainwright 6-0-31-2.
Yorkshire Innings
A W Gale st Simpson b Scollay .............39
J A Rudolph not out ............................86
A Lyth c & b Collins ............................34
A McGrath not out .............................10
Extras (lb1 w14 pens 0)...............15
Total 2 wkts (37 overs)........184
Fall: 1-101 2-166
Did Not Bat: J M Bairstow, A U Rashid, R M Pyrah, A Shahzad, T T Bresnan, S A Patterson, D J Wainwright.
Udal 7-0-43-0. T J Murtagh 8-0-37-0. Collins 7-0-29-1. Dexter 7-0-27-0. Smith 3-0-22-0.
Scollay 4-0-21-1. Shah 1-0-4-0.
Yorkshire beat Middlesex by 8 wkts.
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