County Championship 2022 | English Giants settle on a draw after four rigourous days of cricket

Yorkshire managed to eke out a draw in their county fixture against their traditional rivals, Lancashire. Harry Brook stood as the difference between a draw and a win for the visitors. He held one end when the likes of Joe Root had made their way back to the pavilion.

The final day did not begin on an optimistic note for the home side as Lancashire bundled them out for 379. Dane Vilas enforced the follow-on, trusting his bowlers to get them a victory.

And Lancashire’s bowlers responded well by claiming Adam Lyth’s (2) wicket in the first over. Tom Bailey’s inswinger found him plumb in front of the stumps.

George Hill and Dawid Malan began resurrecting the innings and ensured no further damage till lunch. However, the veteran James Anderson was not to be kept silent for long. He returned with his spell post-lunch to have Malan caught behind on 23. 

Malan’s dismissal brought Root, the former Test captain, to the crease. And his arrival began a duel between the two English cricket legends. 

Root’s 10th ball of his innings brought his downfall. Anderson got one to swing back, and the ball kept low too. It pierced the gap between Root’s bat and pad to clatter his stumps. Anderson was visibly pumped, and Lancashire’s hopes of claiming a victory received a boost.

With the fall of the third wicket, Harry Brook made his way to the middle. He was patience personified but did not miss out on any opportunity to score. Brook got support from Hill, Harry Duke, Dominic Bess and Jordan Thompson. They did not score much, but their primary objective was to salvage a draw for the team.

Duke and Bess became Matthew Parkinson’s victims, but the duo saw off 108 balls between them. Brook remained unbeaten on 82, facing 157 balls, with eleven boundaries.

The two teams shook hands with about seven overs left in the day’s play. 

Brief scores

Lancashire 1st innings: 556/9

Keaton Jennings 238, Steven Croft 104;

Dominic Bess 151/3, Jordan Thompson 87/2;

Yorkshire 1st innings: 379/10

Joe Root 147, Harry Brook 41, Harry Duke 40;

Tom Bailey 56/3, Matthew Parkinson 90/4;

Yorkshire 2nd innings: 169/6 (f/o)

Harry Brook 82*;

 James Anderson 17/2, Matthew Parkinson 53/2;

Match Drawn