Durham edge low-scoring contest with Yorkshire

THE NatWest T20 Blast failed to live up to its billing on a dry Headingley pitch last night as Durham won a low-scoring match by 28 runs.

While seaming pitches in four-day cricket have prevented England from developing Test-class spinners, this sort of arid surface allows the twirlers to prosper when fans want to see them blasted over the rope.

There were only two sixes, by Gareth Breese and Ryan Pringle, in the Durham innings of 123 for nine and none at all in the reply as Yorkshire’s ineptitude comfortably outshone that of their visitors.

They were cruising at 47 for one in the sixth over, but somehow crumbled to 95 all out to the huge disappointment of the majority of the 5,071 crowd. The match ended with the third calamitous run out of the innings with 16 balls unused.

Durham no answer to spin twins Azeem Rafiq and Adil Rashid, who took three wickets each and conceded a combined total of 34 runs in eight overs.

Whether either could ever aspire to solve the search for an England Test spinner will remain a matter of conjecture as long as they are short of bowling in championship cricket.

The same applies to Scott Borthwick, who sparked Yorkshire’s rot by taking wickets with his second and third balls and conceded only 11 runs in four overs.

One of his wickets resulted from a sensational return catch and his brilliant fielding was also responsible for one of the run-outs, while he also held a catch at long-on.

That gave Gareth Breese a wicket with his first ball, completing a nine-wicket haul for the spinners and also putting the icing on Breese’s match-winning performance.

It was his unbeaten 30 off 19 balls which got Durham up to what proved a winning total after stumbling to 80 for eight and looking like struggling to pass their lowest T20 total of 93 in the 2009 quarter-final at Canterbury.

Yorkshire’s total was only five more than their T20 lowest of 90 for nine against Durham at Chester-le-Street in 2009 and the win raised the visitors’ hopes of mounting a late surge for a quarter-final place.

They will now seek a third successive win at home to Nottinghamshire tomorrow night.

Phil Mustard rose above the carnage to score 40 off 42 balls and Breese ensured that 29 came off the last three overs, despite Rashid conceding only four in the 19th.

Ben Stokes had to be withdrawn from the Durham line-up following his selection in the England Test squad and they must now resign themselves to doing without him until late season.

They were also without Calum MacLeod, who hit 145 off 125 balls for Scotland at Glasgow in the second of three 50-over matches against the Netherlands.

Their absence left Durham short of firepower, especially when one-day captain Mark Stoneman lobbed a back-foot shot gently to cover off Ryan Sidebottom to depart for a three-ball duck.

Paul Collingwood was sent in at No 3 and made nine off ten balls before lofting Rich Pyrah to Adam Lyth at deep mid-off.

In the next over the strains of Another One Bites The Dust rang out again as Michael Richardson’s first T20 outing of the season ended when he tried to cut Tim Bresnan and edged to Aaron Finch at slip.

Durham were 33 for three after the six overs of powerplay and after only three came off Pyrah’s next over desperation began to creep in with two wickets falling in two balls in off-spinner Rafiq’s first over.

Gordon Muchall had to abandon his usual textbook approach, only to offer an easy catch to wide mid-on. Borthwick then lofted an equally simple catch to deep mid-on.

Ryan Pringle blocked the hat-trick ball before hitting a six over long-off as 11 came off Pyrah’s final over. But he gave Rafiq his third wicket when he holed out at long-on for 17, then Rashid struck twice in an over.

Mustard lunged and was stumped by Jonny Bairstow then Usman Arshad played round a straight one and was lbw.

Despite the early loss of skipper Andrew Gale, who skied a pull off John Hastings to be well caught by Richardson at deep mid-wicket, Yorkshire looked like cantering home as Finch and Alex Lees put on 40 in four overs.

They were helped by Arshad conceding 17 in his only over, including a leg-side wide which went for four, plus two overthrows as Durham showed signs of becoming sloppy.

They instantly tightened up, however, as Hastings nipped one back to bowl Lees off his pads for 19 then Finch was lbw trying to sweep Borthwick and when Lyth tried to chip the next to mid-on the spinner leapt high to his left to hold a one-handed catch.

Borthwick then swooped from deep gully to hit the non-striker’s stumps and run out Ollie Robinson for three.

With Collingwood tightening the screw by giving away only 15 runs in four overs, there was no way back for Yorkshire.

*Graham Onions conceded 24 runs in three overs as he continued his comeback from a back injury in the Second X1 Championship game against Glamorgan at Middlesbrough.

Durham replied to the visitors’ 348 with 332 for eight declared, Graham Clark top-scoring with 62, before Glamorgan reached 93 without loss in their second innings. The match ends today.

SCORECARD

At Headingley Carnegie

Durham
MDStoneman cRafiq bSidebottom.....0
P Mustard stBairstowb A URashid.40
PD Collingwood c Lyth b Pyrah...........9
M JRichardson c Finch bBresnan......2
G J Muchall c Gale bRafiq....................4
S G Borthwick c Lyth bRafiq................0
RDPringle c Finch bRafiq.................17
G RBreese not out................................30
Arshad lbwb A URashid........................0
J W Hastings c Pyrah b A URashid.....6
C Rushworth not out...............................4
Extras (b6 lb4w1 pens 0). 11
Total 9wkts Innings
Complete (20 overs).........123
Fall: 1-5 2-29 3-33 4-49 5-49 6-73 7-76
8-80 9-94
Bowling: Sidebottom 3-0-22-1. Bresnan
4-0-21-1. Pyrah 4-0-24-1. Rafiq 4-0-20-3.
A U Rashid 4-1-14-3.Robinson 1-0-12-0.

Yorkshire
A W Gale cRichardson b Hastings.....6
A J Finch lbwbBorthwick....................17
A Z Lees b Hastings..............................19
JMBairstowcBreesebCollingwood......9
A Lyth c & bBorthwick............................0
O E Robinson run out.............................3
A U Rashid cBorthwick bBreese........7
T TBresnan run out.................................1
R M Pyrah lbwb Hastings....................16
Rafiq not out..............................................7
R J Sidebottom run out...........................2
Extras (lb1w5 nb2 pens 0). 8
Total (17.2 overs).................95
Fall: 1-7 2-47 3-49 4-49 5-58 6-64 7-66
8-73 9-91
Bowling: Rushworth 2-0-14-0. Hastings
4-0-22-3. Arshad 1-0-17-0. Borthwick 4-0-
11-2.Collingwood 4-0-15-1.Breese 1.2-0-
5-1. Pringle 1-0-10-0.

Durham beat Yorkshire by 28 runs