Malan misses out on ton but Tykes dominate Pears

BBC News

11-04-2025

Rothesay County Championship Division One, Headingley (day one)Yorkshire 425-8: Malan 98, Lyth 67, Hill 63; Duffy 3-114Worcestershire: Yet to batYorkshire (4 pts), Worcestershire (2 pts)Match scorecard
England international Dawid Malan hit a classy 98 as promoted Yorkshire enjoyed a healthy start to their County Championship Division One clash with Worcestershire at Headingley.Malan struck 12 fours and a six as the Tykes closed on 425-8, aided by Adam Lyth's 67 and George Hill (63), helping to steady a brief home wobble after lunch which included the unfortunate scalp of home captain Jonny Bairstow.Adam Finch's short ball seemed to brush Bairstow's stomach rather than his glove on its way through to wicketkeeper Gareth Roderick, but umpire Mark Newell viewed it differently.After batting out the final 200 overs to draw with Somerset at Taunton on Monday, Worcestershire made an errant start with the ball but did improve.New Zealand quick Jacob Duffy mirrored his side's day. He improved markedly to finish with three wickets on his debut.After being Put in by Pears captain Brett D'Oliveira, Yorkshire raced to 49 without loss after 10 overs as Lyth shared an opening stand of 55 with opening partner Fin Bean, who was caught at third slip for 19.Left-hander Lyth then shared 68 through to early afternoon with second-wicket partner James Wharton, whose eye-catching 44 included four fours off one Taylor over. But the hosts then slumped from 123-1 in the 35th over to 179-4 in the 48th When Bairstow was out.Wharton edged Duffy, undone by extra bounce and away movement - before Lyth miscued an expansive pull off former Yorkshire all-rounder Matthew Waite to deep backward square-leg. And when Bairstow fell controversially, cutting an astonished figure as he left the field, Worcestershire had an opening.However, Malan, in only his second first-class match since July 2023, was in dominant form, including a slog-swept six over deep midwicket off Kashif Ali's leg-spin to help him reach tea on 75 not out.Hill edged a swish at Ben Allison behind in the early stages of the evening session before Jake Libby's part-time off-spin ousted Will Luxton, caught at deep midwicket.Duffy then had Malan caught at second slip with the second ball of the 82nd over, the first with the new ball, and also trapped Dom Bess lbw, although Waite was still the stand-out Pears bowler with 1-53 from 15 overs.But Jordan Thompson then swayed things very much in Yorkshire's favour with a quick-fire 48 not out from 43 balls, dominating an unbroken ninth-wicket stand of 65 stand with Ben Coad (22).ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay