Byas' costly slip lets Lehmann off the hook

In a day restricted to 48 overs by heavy rain in mid-afternoon, Yorkshire recovered to 163 for two with Lehmann's unbeaten 68 being his seventh consecutive score of 50 or more in the Championship.

The Australian's previous best sequence in his five seasons with Yorkshire was six in 2000 and he would have stuck on that amount this time if Byas had not put him down at first slip when he stood on 22.

The chance was not difficult as far as slip catches go but the ball just slipped through Byas's usually reliable fingers. Even in his days with Yorkshire, however, Byas had a tendency to drop the sitters and hold on to the spectacular ones.

Byas knows better than anyone that you cannot afford to give Lehmann even half a chance and the Yorkshireman was soon regretting his lapse as Lehmann and Anthony McGrath eased the White Rose side out of their early difficulties with an unbroken third-wicket stand of 139 in 35 overs.

Like Lehmann, McGrath is in prime form at the moment and his 55 not out was his third half-century within a week, following on the heels of his 59 for Yorkshire Phoenix against Somerset Sabres at Scarborough last Sunday and his match-winning 72 in the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy quarter-final at Chelmsford on Tuesday.

Events turned out far better for Yorkshire than they could have anticipated when they slipped to 24 for two after winning the toss and batting first when it was questionable whether it was wise to do so.

The ball swung and seamed under leaden skies and in a heavy atmosphere and Peter Martin caused all sorts of problems with the new ball.

The spotlight turned on Byas as early as the fifth over when Matthew Wood edged Martin and Byas appeared to take a good catch at ankle height at first slip.

But umpires Tony Clarkson at the bowler's end and John Steele at square leg were both unsighted and Wood was given not out after standing his ground, the batsman feeling that the ball had possibly dropped short.

Byas himself made little fuss but several of his Lancashire team-mates made it clear they thought that Wood should have walked.

The incident was still fresh in everyone's mind when Wood, still on five, shouldered arms at Martin and had his off-stump removed and soon after that the bowler claimed Craig White's wicket when he stepped in front of his stumps.

With McGrath and Lehmann both appreciating the importance of trying to win the game rather than draw it, runs came at a rush and in the over after Lehmann had taken three fours off John Wood, McGrath repeated the feat against 19-year-old Burnley-born paceman Jimmy Anderson.

Yorkshire had recovered to 113 for two by lunch and the improvement continued after the interval, Lehmann reaching his 50 off 73 balls and McGrath off 104, both with eight fours.

l Yorkshire have been rocked by the news that Australian Simon Katich will not now be available to replace Darren Lehmann when the captain leaves in mid-August for Australia's visit to Kenya to play Pakistan followed by the ICC Trophy tournament in Sri Lanka in September.

The Kenya trip has still to be confirmed but it is expected that it will go ahead.

Cricket chairman Bob Platt, coach Wayne Clark and Lehmann yesterday held an emergency meeting to discuss some new names - and I understand that Sri Lanka's leading batsman Aravinda De Silva figured prominently on their list of possible candidates.

The situation has come about with the announcement that Katich has been appointed vice captain of Australia A's tour to South Africa in September.

Lehmann said yesterday: "We have just learned details of the A tour and it means that Katich cannot replace me after I play my last match for Yorkshire in the Norwich Union League game with Glamorgan on August 11.

"It is now a matter of some urgency that we find another overseas player in time for the Roses match at Old Trafford which begins three days later on August 14.

"Several names are under discussion."