YORKSHIRE captain Andrew Gale has criticised the flat pitch at Arundel that ensured they were denied the victory over Sussex that would have taken them clear at the top of division one.

The match ended in a draw with the flat wicket ensuring Sussex finished on 228 for three, 74 runs ahead, after only 20 wickets fell over the four days for 1,018 runs in 367.5 overs.

The draw has moved Yorkshire up to joint-top of division one with Notts at the halfway stage, but Gale was not impressed with the wicket.

“When it comes to marking my pitch report for this game, I will mark it as poor,”

he said. “If you can’t get nicks that carry even halfway to slip then I think that is a poor first class pitch.

“If you can’t get a result in four days then it is poor, especially when you don’t lose any time out of the game.”

On such a flat and unforgiving surface as this, captains have to utilise ways of making a breakthrough and Gale quickly turned to his ‘wall’ field in an attempt to end the opening partnership.

Positioning fielders in a line either side of the wicket to try and turn the drive into a risky shot, Gale introduced it early in the day.

It was one of many innovations he attempted, including using eight bowlers but it was not until the turned to Rafiq’s off-spin that the breakthrough arrived.

Making his first championship appearance of the summer because of Adil Rashid’s absence on paternity leave, Azeem Rafiq impressed, claimed a key wicket and a sharp catch.

Introduced in the 17th over of the day, Rafiq took three overs before he exploited the foot-holes enough to dismiss Chris Nash but was beaten by the turn and edged to Adam Lyth at slip.

Rafiq may also have claimed a second wicket with Luke Wells, then on 19, also beaten by the turn out of the footholes and edged behind but Bairstow, standing up the stumps, missed the chance.

Bairstow beat the ground in frustration, knowing that Yorkshire needed to take every chance if they were to claim victory and it was another 28 overs before they made another breakthrough.

Once again the Lyth-Rafiq combination that ended the 110-run second wicket stand with the off-spinner taking a smart catch at leg gully after Rory Hamilton-Brown got an inside edge defending Lyth’s part-time spin.