Arthur Crabtree wrote:Knew Yorkshire wouldn't chase 350
Was at least 30 runs too many to generally poor bowling and lethargic fielding. Though Travis and Clarke looked like putting something bigger than 350 had Adil Rashid not got a hand to a drilled drive from Travis Head to deflect onto the stumps at Clarke's end for a run out. Afterwards the run rate slowed down and something below 300 was possible, but the trio of D'Oliveria, Whiteley and Cox upped the gears through punishing bad bowling along with deft ramp shots towards the lopsided short boundary, to score 130 runs in the last 10 and a bit overs.
Kohler-Cadmore, Lyth and Pujara got busy, but momentum was lost when the former was caught in the deep at the longest boundary for 89. Yorkshire thought sending James Wainman in at 4 for a cameo knock so the required run-rate from 8.5 per over would go down, but he looked all at sea for all of two balls, then the management send Harry Brook in who has no natural brute strength to clear the ropes. Personally Leaning should have gone in at 4 when there was less than 10 overs of the 2nd powerplay left, enough to have a look around and have a hit before 5 men are allowed outside the 30m circle.
What Steve Pujara lacked for power he more than made up in placement and footwork against the spin, it was a brilliant knock in demanding cicrumstances. If he had Willey, Plunkett or even Fisher coming in down the lower order it would have been a different story altogether.
It wasn't until the 47th over where winning might be a remote possibility, as Pat Brown bowled wide of off-stump to Steve Patterson. Longest side of boundary
had all 5 men on the rope, but Patto's favourite shot is anything off-side and all he had to do was pierce the inner circle for a boundary, which he did, 4 times in that over.
Patto sportingly walked when Joe Leach got him nicking behind Cox in the penultimate over, Coad survived and scored a vital 2 in the last ball before the 50th over. Needing 12 off 2 balls, Hodd hit a straight drive six to the building site to make things interesting, but could not deliver the same shot to a full length ball.