Yorkshire v Sussex (County Championship): Day One, Two & Three

A crushing defeat seemed highly possible for Yorkshire when they resumed their top-of-the-table Championship clash with Sussex at Headingley Carnegie yesterday but they fought back to end the day in a much stronger position.

Having been shot out for 139 on a rain-affected pitch when play finally got started on Saturday afternoon, Yorkshire then skittled their opponents for 141 before Craig White and Anthony McGrath put on 103 together for the second wicket in easily the highest stand of the match so far.

Both fell just before the close when Yorkshire were 129 for three, so setting up the prospect of an intriguing final day.

Nobody has done more to keep the Tykes in contention than 21-year-old, Ajmal Shahzad, who has performed with distinction in only his third Championship appearance.

Batting at No 10 in the first innings, he played shots of the highest quality to top score with an unbeaten 32 off 49 balls with six boundaries.

Then he bowled magnificently to stun Sussex with four for 22, wrapping up the innings with three for five in 15 deliveries, the last two wickets falling to consecutive deliveries.

Jason Gillespie, Deon Kruis and Tim Bresnan also bowled accurately and economically to finish with two wickets apiece but it was Shahzad who deservedly led Yorkshire off the field.

Shahzad, born in Huddersfield and brought up in Bradford where he learned his cricket with Windhill, became the first Yorkshire-born player from an ethnic background to play for the county when he made his Sunday League debut against Worcestershire in 2004.

Since then Shahzad has been pushed out of the limelight by the rapid advancement of Adil Rashid but he has shown he has immense talent of his own.

Sussex began the day strongly placed on 40 without loss after Yorkshire had failed to get a wicket in the final eight overs on Saturday evening but neither Gillespie nor Kruis were giving anything away and only three had been added when Gillespie hit the top of Richard Montgomerie's off-stump.

Gillespie struck again to have Chris Nash caught at short mid-off by White and Shahzad picked up his first wicket as Murray Goodwin hooked into the waiting hands of Joe Sayers at long leg.

Sussex skipper, Chris Adams, who quit Yorkshire before actually arriving last November, was soon struck on the arm by a Bresnan bouncer but Michael Yardy was fourth out at 81, Yorkshire's concentration on targeting his leg-stump being rewarded when he clipped Bresnan to mid-wicket where White held on.

Batting was proving just as difficult for Sussex as Yorkshire had found it on the previous day and Adams' innings ended when Bresnan had him caught behind.

Shahzad had Luke Wright caught by Gerard Brophy and Rana Naved taken high at first slip by Jacques Rudolph before his next ball flattened the off-stump of last man, Jason Lewry.

Another Yorkshire collapse seemed possible when Sayers fell lbw to Lewry with only nine scored but White and McGrath both took command once they had settled in and they matched each other stroke for stroke, McGrath reaching his half century off 142 balls with seven fours.

White rarely put a foot wrong until he was on 49 when he edged Lewry to Andrew Hodd and four overs later McGrath was run out for 58.

SCORECARD

Yorkshire v Sussex at Headingley Carnegie.

Yorkshire First Innings
C White c Montgomerie b Lewry 0
J J Sayers lbw b Naved-ul-Hasan 2
A McGrath c Lewry b Naved-ul-Hasan 9
Younus Khan lbw b Lewry 1
J A Rudolph c Hodd b Naved-ul-Hasan 0
G L Brophy c Martin-Jenkins b Mushtaq 30
A Rashid lbw b Martin-Jenkins 22
T T Bresnan c Hodd b Martin-Jenkins 4
J N Gillespie c Nash b Mushtaq 6
A Shahzad not out 32
G J Kruis c Naved-ul-Hasan b Mushtaq 17
Extras (b1 lb2 w1 nb12 pens 0) 16
Total (48.2 overs) 139
Fall: 1-0 2-15 3-16 4-17 5-26 6-77 7-81 8-85
9-95
Bowling: Lewry 15-8-30-2. Naved-ul-Hasan 12-
4-34-3. Wright 2-0-12-0. Martin-Jenkins 8-2-20-
2. Mushtaq Ahmed 11.2-2-40-3.

Sussex First Innings
C D Nash c White b Gillespie 28
R R Montgomerie b Gillespie 17
M H Yardy c White b Bresnan 20
M W Goodwin c Sayers b Shahzad 7
C J Adams c Brophy b Bresnan 29
A J Hodd c Rudolph b Kruis 7
R S Martin-Jenkins c Bresnan b Kruis 16
L J Wright c Brophy b Shahzad 2
Naved ul-Hasan c Rudolph b Shahzad 4
Mushtaq Ahmed not out 2
J D Lewry b Shahzad 0
Extras (lb3 w6 pens 0) 9
Total (56.4 overs) 141
Fall: 1-43 2-52 3-77 4-81 5-99 6-121 7-132
8-139 9-141
Bowling: Gillespie 16-3-54-2. Kruis 18-7-39-2. A
Rashid 2-0-6-0. Shahzad 8.4-1-22-4. Bresnan 9-
2-14-2. McGrath 3-1-3-0.

Yorkshire Second Innings Close
C White c Hodd b Lewry 49
J J Sayers lbw b Lewry 3
A McGrath run out 58
Younus Khan not out 12
J A Rudolph not out 0
Extras (b2 lb1 nb4 pens 0) 7
Total 3 wkts (53 overs) 129
Fall: 1-9 2-112 3-121
To Bat: G L Brophy, A Rashid, T T Bresnan, A
Shahzad, J N Gillespie, G J Kruis.
Bonus Pts: Yorkshire 3 Sussex 3
Bowling: Lewry 13-6-15-2. Naved-ul-Hasan 11-
0-42-0. Martin-Jenkins 9-4-18-0. Mushtaq Ahmed
14-4-41-0. Wright 6-2-10-0.