Star Rashid puts Surrey in a spin

9:20am Monday 21st July 2008

Comments (0)   Have your say »

SPINNERS Adil Rashid and David Wainwright choked the life out of Surrey as Yorkshire kick-started their Pro40 League campaign at Guildford.

The pair combined in a brilliant ten-over spell to put the brakes on a late Surrey onslaught and clinch a ten-run victory for the Tykes.

Chasing 231 to win, the hosts were looking dangerous on 75-3 after 16 overs – 21 behind Yorkshire at the same stage.

But the introduction of Yorkshire’s two spinners halted Surrey’s progress with an astonishing spell that yielded only 27 runs from 60 balls, leaving Surrey 44 shy of Yorkshire after 26 overs.

A nightmare opening saw Surrey reduced to 25-3, but their recovery mission was started by Usman Afzaal.

He had already weighed in with three wickets in the Yorkshire innings before he managed 41 with the bat. However, his frustration at the accuracy of Rashid and Wainwright led to him slog sweeping Rashid, only to top edge and loop an easy catch to the hands of Jacques Rudolph.

Chris Jordan also made life difficult for the visitors with a knock of 38, but he was trapped lbw by Darren Gough.

For Gough, it was welcome relief after starting his spell with 20 runs being plundered from his two overs.

The hosts accelerated in the closing stages, with Chris Schofield and Jonathan Batty putting on 42 for the sixth wicket before Batty holed out to Richard Pyrah at long off to leave Surrey on 178-6, still 53 runs behind with less than five overs remaining.

Wainwright could even afford to put down a relatively simple chance off Jason Roy late on – Rana Naved bowled Roy moments later for six.

That proved to be the final wicket of the day, Surrey finishing on 219-8.

After winning the toss and batting, Yorkshire smashed 36 runs off the last three overs to reach 230.

Rashid and Pyrah did the damage at the tail end after Andrew Gale and Anthony McGrath had scored the lion’s share of the early runs, with 44 and 37 respectively.

Rashid, who made 33 from 34 balls, said: “We lost a few quick wickets but me and Rich Pyrah had a good spell.

“We tried to go at six an over and then open up with a few boundaries and, in the end, it was a good score.

“Hopefully, this performance will set me up to play well for the rest of the season.”

Meanwhile, Yorkshire next face Nottinghamshire in division one of the LV County Championship at Trent Bridge tomorrow.

They will go there with renewed confidence, and also with Rashid threatening to rediscover the sort of form that has had the England selectors watching the young leg-spinner so intently.