Yorkshire can't cut the Mustard

Phil Mustard and Liam Plunkett held up Yorkshire's charge to establish a lead of 286, which proved insurmountable

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Yorkshire were frustrated by Durham’s lower order as they extended their longest sequence of matches without a first-class win to 19, against the LV= County Champions at Headingley Carnegie.

Durham continued their batting recovery in the morning and were able to declare on 421 for nine, which left Yorkshire chasing 287 for victory in a minimum of 55 overs, but they were never in the hunt and the visitors decided to call it a day with Yorkshire on 98 for four and with half an hour remaining.

Yorkshire are now without a championship win since they beat Somerset at Taunton in early June of last year.

After enduring plenty of hard graft in the field on the previous day, there was more of it to come for the home side when Durham resumed their second innings on the final morning on 288 for seven with a lead of 153.

A quick wrapping-up of the innings would have left Yorkshire favourites to win but things did not turn out that way as Phil Mustard and Liam Plunkett calmly increased their side’s lead by batting throughout the session and extending their stand into the afternoon before they were parted.

By then the pair had established a new eighth-wicket record of 147 for Durham in matches against Yorkshire, overtaking the 143 they also set on the ground in last year’s corresponding fixture.

Twice Mustard was put down in the morning - a relatively easy chance to Jacques Rudolph at slip off Tim Bresnan when 55 and then by Adam Lyth when he drove Adil Rashid hard to the fielder’s right at deep mid-on.

Apart from these chances, Mustard batted with great restraint and neither he nor Plunkett were troubled much by a flagging Yorkshire attack shorn of Ajmal Shahzad, who did not take the field because of a tweaked hamstring.

In the same over that Mustard enjoyed his second escape, Plunkett boosted Durham’s score by hammering consecutive balls for two fours and a six and the visitors were in a strong position at lunch when they were 260 runs to the good.

Another 20 were added after the interval before Mustard ballooned a return catch high up the bat to Bresnan for 85 from 149 balls with 10 fours, and the declaration came immediately after Plunkett drove Rana Naved-ul-Hasan to Matthew Hoggard and was out for 65 from 170 deliveries with five fours and a six.

Durham were then 421 for nine and Yorkshire were left to rue the no-ball much earlier in the innings that smacked into Plunkett’s stumps when he was on two, and the lead only 140.

With the pitch having flattened out, Steve Harmison was unable to celebrate his recall to the England squad with the sort of fiery first-innings performance that brought him five wickets. He was rested after bowling six overs for 18 runs.

Plunkett replaced him at the Kirkstall Lane end and soon put the skids under Yorkshire with two wickets in eight balls, tucking Joe Sayers up and forcing him to give a catch to Mark Stoneman at square leg. He then pinned Anthony McGrath lbw without scoring.

Ian Blackwell’s spin seemed more probing than Rashid’s had for Yorkshire and he deservedly claimed a wicket when Rudolph squirted a full-length ball into Plunkett’s hands at silly point.

Harmison returned for another short burst after tea but it was Blackwell who made it 68 for four by having Lyth caught at short square by Gordon Muchall.

Andrew Gale and Jonathan Bairstow had moved the score on to 90 for four when the last hour was called.

With little life in the pitch, the fifth-wicket pair eased Yorkshire’s fears of defeat but a draw was still a very disappointing result for the Tykes, who have been starved of success so far this season.