Yorkshire hold on for draw against Glamorgan despite Jonny Bairstow duck

Adam Lyth’s masterful 174 saw Yorkshire hold on for a County Championship draw against Glamorgan after Jonny Bairstow was out for a nine-ball duck as his promotion up the order backfired.

Bairstow, making his senior return this week after eight months out injured, strode to the middle for the start of the afternoon session after a 99-run opening stand between Lyth and Finlay Bean was broken on the stroke of lunch.

His leap to number three briefly raised the notion of Yorkshire trying to chase down a 492-run target for victory on the final day but the England batter edged to second slip off Timm van der Gugten.

Lyth, dropped on 48 and 69, showed intent throughout and put on 138 with George Hill, whose dismissal for 60 after the tea interval ended any remote prospect of Yorkshire pulling off a heist at Headingley.

In the end, Yorkshire were hanging on by their fingernails after losing seven wickets in the last session, including Lyth, but Jordan Thompson (55 not out) kept out Michael Neser’s final over of the day.

Neser, who claimed a first-innings seven for 32 including a hat-trick, was wicketless here as Yorkshire finished on 412 for nine, with Van der Gugten collecting four for 72 and James Harris three for 97.

Neser was curiously overlooked to open the bowling, allowing Lyth and Bean to warm to their task.

By the time Neser was introduced in the 13th over, Yorkshire had reached 34 without any alarm and Lyth welcomed the Australian into the attack with a splendid punch through the covers for four.

The Yorkshire captain latched on to anything overpitched or too short, and later hooked Neser for six, but he had his first reprieve when Harris spilled a tricky return catch despite getting both hands to the ball.

The 21-year-old Bean was less assertive than his senior opening partner, making a circumspect 21 off 83 balls before playing down the wrong line to Van der Gugten and being adjudged lbw with the final ball before lunch.

Struggled

Bairstow, who made an unbeaten 20 out of Yorkshire’s miserly 106 first time around, joined Lyth upon the resumption but struggled to lay bat on ball during his time in the middle. When he did eventually make contact, it was via a thick outside edge that was gratefully accepted by Marnus Labuschagne.

While a sunny afternoon started well for Labuschagne, it went downhill from there as he put down a simple chance at chest-height in the cordon when Van der Gugten had enticed Lyth into a drive.

Lyth made full use of the let-off, bringing up a 134-ball century, after steering Harris backward of square for his 17th four, while soon after he had his second and third sixes by hitting spinner Andrew Salter back over his head then into the stands over deep midwicket.

Hill belted Labuschagne for four successive fours in the part-time spinner’s only over to leave Yorkshire needing 252 in 38 overs. But minutes into the final session, Hill got a thin inside edge through to Chris Cooke, who took a low catch, while Dawid Malan fell lbw to Harris for 17.

Lyth strolled past 150 but had to trudge off when the umpire’s finger went up after he was rapped above the knee roll by Jamie McIlroy.

The left-arm seamer then handed Dom Bess a king pair next ball before Harris found the outside edge of Saud Shakeel, who had put on 52 with Thompson, while Matthew Fisher was trapped on the crease in the same over.

Mickey Edwards had his stumps rearranged after leaving one that zipped back into him from Van der Gugten, with the 96th and last over of the day remaining.

Injured seamer Ben Coad joined Thompson, who safely negotiated Neser despite being beaten on the outside edge a couple of times.