da pinnacle： Durham held at bay as young allrounder helps put visitors on top
da doce： David Hopps12-May-2023Yorkshire 254 and 91 for 3 lead Durham 227 (Robinson 44, Hill 4-43) by 118 runsIt must be a comparatively simple and joyful life being a young Yorkshire cricketer, full of ambitions no more complicated than to make runs and take wickets. George Hill was one such player on show at Emirates Riverside. Tousle-haired and lightly built, he does not immediately fit the stereotype of a seam-bowler, but Yorkshire think highly of him and four good wickets against Durham enhanced his reputation as an improving allrounder.Hill, like Harry Brook, is a product of Sedbergh School, and while Brook has shown an out-of-the-ordinary talent to suggest that Yorkshire will see little of him for the next decade, Hill might instead develop into a highly reliable, purposeful, adaptable county cricketer, doing useful things, day in, day out. He might have higher ambitions, of course, and, at 22, so he should.Hill is batting at No. 6 this season and while some observers fear this will limit his development as a batter – he first got an opportunity as an opener, despite minimal previous experience in the role – it seems a sensible place for his all-round talents to develop. His batting can find more freedom there and he looks capable of a fourth-seamer role, hitting the seam and maintaining sound length and line.What a pleasure to be young and concerned only with the cricket. No need to take notice of the undercurrents that continue to swirl as Yorkshire seek a route out of potential bankruptcy. If the club find a way forward, and also manage to placate most of their supporters in the process, it will be quite an achievement. Talk of a uniting vision will sadly have to come later: that chance has been lost during two years of endless recriminations. There are people who want Yorkshire to fail because of the racism allegations, there are others who want them to fail because they are resentful about the racism allegations. Make sense of that,Yorkshire must feel they can’t win – although they might actually win on the pitch for the first time this season. They closed the second day 118 ahead with seven wickets remaining when bad light brought a premature end with Jonny Bairstow and Dawid Malan’s fourth-wicket stand so far worth 50. Endless sunshine is forecast for Saturday afternoon so Yorkshire have work to do yet if they are to defeat a Durham side that looks capable of a prolonged promotion challenge. They will hope that the bounce becomes even more treacherous in the final innings.There are times when you need to don a mental suit of armour just to watch Yorkshire, never mind play for them. Time on the journey north up the A1 to put on endless repeat Curtis Stigers’ “What’s So Funny Bout Peace Love and Understanding” – a contender for the best cover version of all time. Hill might prefer something more modern, but Yorkshire must move on together.In this difficult atmosphere, the coach Ottis Gibson is nurturing and improving young players – Hill being just one example. He had dismissed Alex Lees lbw the previous evening, a crucial blow with Yorkshire defending 254, and added three lower-order Durham batters on the second day: finding extra bounce to have Graham Clark caught at slip, seaming one back to have Brydon Carse lbw, and leaving only middle stump standing as he also moved one back, this time to the left-hander, Ben Raine, and bowled him through the gate.As they remark around here, the day was positively Baltic with a cutting wind and mizzle in the air. It might have been February. The bounce remained indifferent, and the ball nibbled around, but there was not as much swing to be had. Hill put the lack of swing down to a wet outfield and described the weather as “pretty minging”.Yorkshire were grateful for early breakthroughs – two of them to Jordan Thompson with break-backs that had the nightwatch, Matthew Potts, and David Bedingham lbw. Ollie Robinson looks to be the transfer of the season and he batted brightly for 44, productive through the off side.Yorkshire would have anticipated a first-innings lead considerably greater than 27 runs after Durham lost half their side for 71 and then, following Hill’s interventions, looked almost spent at 173 for 9. A last-wicket stand of 54 between Bas de Leede and Ajaz Patel put the kibosh on that with Patel’s frolicsome 34 from 30 balls removing all logic from the game in a way that only a No. 11, taking liberties, can.By the time Patel top-edged a pull over the keeper’s head to bring up the 50 stand, and then caused Dom Bess to parry another edge high above his head at slip, Matt Fisher, who had been brought back to quell the rebellion, had endured more than he could bear. Patel’s stumps were duly ripped out and Fisher responded with a meaningful time-to-stop-this-nonsense punch of the air.Yorkshire lost a trio of left-handers in a difficult first hour full of playing and missing. Adam Lyth made a pair, again falling prey to a square cut. Also among them was Finlay Bean, who was batting as a concussion substitute after the Pakistan batter, Saud Shakeel, who had been struck on the head by Potts, and who also injured an ankle badly enough to need a runner on the first day, reported symptoms overnight. Shakeel’s brief stint in county cricket has ended in disappointing fashion.Shan Masood dragged on against Potts for the second time in the match. Masood was appointed as Yorkshire’s new captain with considerable fanfare. He seemed exactly what they needed – a classy top-order batter, a good tactician and the sort of appointment that would help heal wounds among slighted and suspicious minority-ethnic communities.Then, unexpectedly, Pakistan came calling again and Masood, who has already missed the first month of the season, can expect further absences for a Test engagements in Sri Lanka in July and the Asia Cup in September. It is to be hoped there is still a Yorkshire club left when his international days have ended.
