Roundup: Labuschagne warms up for Ashes against Yorkshire
Marnus Labuschagne hitting top form isn’t news to thrill Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, but it was rich reward for those who swapped wall-to-wall coverage of ermine and crowns to plonk their bottoms on blue bucket seats in Leeds.
Sam Northeast, who made 66, had the perfect view from 22 yards away for a large part of the day, and called Labuschagne’s innings of 170 not out for Glamorgan against Yorkshire “almost ridiculous at times”. And it was. A slow start – he was dropped on 11 – became an innings of invention and precision, as he flicked his wrists, danced and dallied, swept and reverse swept, unerringly finding the gaps in Yorkshire’s increasingly desperate fields. Dom Bess took a particular tonking, his 10 overs going for 76, with one ball panned for six high into the stands below the pavilion.
Even Labuschagne was prepared to admit that things were starting to sing: “I have been a bit sort of all over,” he said, with his woolly hat pulled low, after play. “It hasn’t felt like it has come together until that innings. I hit a few nice straight drives, a couple of nice cover drives and a nice flick through midwicket. That’s probably the most I’ve felt balanced at the crease, I felt like my head position was in a nice spot, my bat path was coming down nicely.
“For me it is taking it game by game and trying to build up that momentum that leads into the World Test championship and the Ashes.”
Glamorgan declared just before tea, as Billy Root reached 50, setting Yorkshire a lofty 492 to chase. The rain saved any premature blushes, while Labuschagne, the World’s No 1 Test batsman, with consecutive scores of 64, 65 and 170, confirmed that he would probably get an evening call from Sussex’s Steve Smith, the world No 3, for a debrief.
Cricket proved a unifier for long-suffering Yorkshire fans who’d ditched their television sets. “I’ve got my flags and my tape is on and I’ll be watching tonight,” said Jennifer Massheder. “But cricket comes first, we’d have been at the Bradford League if not here.”
“If it poured down all day I’d rather stick pins in my eyes than watch the coronation,” said her good friend Shelia Waterworth as they prepared to spend the day together.
At Taunton, Tom Kohler-Cadmore reached his hundred with a buoyant six off his first ball of the day, and completed a fluent 130 for Somerset; while James Rew, whose season has got off to a purring start, reached 89. There were five wickets for Jack White as Somerset, heady with runs, built a first innings lead of 157. Northamptonshire’s fightback was hindered by a costly hand injury to Hassan Azad, which forced him to retire hurt.
The weather gave Nottinghamshire a friendly helping hand at Trent Bridge, but ruined the dreams of Lancashire’s Josh Bohannon and George Balderson. After scoring freely in the morning, the rain forced them off in sight of their centuries. After a four and a half hour break, they returned and were both promptly out in the nineties, before the umbrellas were raised again. England’s Olly Stone, whose career has been hounded by injury, was unable to finish his 15th over and left the field.
Rain washed out the games at New Road and Southampton, where Warwickshire’s Ed Barnard was stranded on 91, and there was time for only 28 balls at Chelmsford – more frustration for Essex who have lost 458 overs to rain this season. Derbyshire had time to pick up a batting bonus point and declare before the rain fell, mopping up efforts hampered by the temporary breakdown of the groundsman’s blotter.
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With the evening drawing in at Headingley, time for me to go. Thanks for sticking with us despite other distractions, and thank you to Marnus Labuschagne for an innings to remember. Till tomorrow, good night!
