It seemed like a promising reign when Yorkshire announced Jonny Bairstow as their new red-ball cricket skipper. In the White Rose, pride and passion were inevitable. There are also some possibly more explosive moments from a man who has his entire circulatory system permanently inked on his body for everyone to see, rather than just wearing his heart on his sleeve.
When Bairstow came out for the toss for just the fourth time in professional cricket, and the first for Yorkshire since he oversaw a T20 Blast match against Northamptonshire in 2015, the blood would have been flowing. After spending two years in the second division, Yorkshire was back in Division One for the upcoming season and ready to be defeated. Bairstow made the proper call and decided to bat on a clear morning with a little high cloud cover overhead. And very soon it was all going off out there, to borrow the words of another well-known Yorkshireman.
In the first week of April, a new pitch was expected to help Hampshire’s attack a little, but being hustled out within eight overs of the second session commencing was obviously not part of Yorkshire’s master plan. All six of the visiting players reached double digits, but none were able to surpass Dawid Malan‘s 31. More importantly, the bowler could only claim to have got out Adam Lyth and George Hill.
At shortly after noon, Bairstow, who not only kept wickets but also batted at number five in addition to his captaincy responsibilities, came out to the middle with his arms windmilling enthusiastically before scratching his mark and turning to face Brad Wheal with his bat held high in his signature manner. Yorkshire may have hoped for a partnership with Test-match experience to improve the innings from 56 for 3 with Malan at the other end. Instead, Bairstow fell to the Hampshire new boy’s second delivery, which was short and wide again but sliced straight to third after he had pushed a couple singles and then chopped Sonny Baker over point for his first boundary.
Although circumstances improved as the sun shone on the south coast and the temperature dipped into the 20s C, Hampshire’s batting was far more resilient in response. Mark Stoneman made his Hampshire debut with a clean 46 in an opening stand of 70 after previously hitting a straight smash aimed at one-and-a-bit stumps to run out Malan. Fletcha Middleton added a more workmanlike forty-five, but Yorkshire worked hard to keep them from taking a bigger advantage. Hill twice removed Stoneman and Tom Prest with leg stumps.
As he led the players back on after tea, Bairstow, the captain, exchanged cordial words with the travelling Yorkshire supporters, demonstrating that he was not overly concerned with how his team had performed in their opening encounter with a team that had finished each of the previous three seasons in Division One’s top three.
Bairstow will have been ready for difficult times because, with England, he seemed to thrive in adversity.
Bairstow’s attitude was positive in the field, and he used his resources to thwart Hampshire in the evening session. He rejoiced with a thunderous double fist-pump that brought back memories of his international days. His scurrying catch to dislodge Middleton via bat and pad off the bowling of Dom Bess was the pinnacle of hard-won triumph. If there was ever any question, the fire is still burning brilliantly.
Bum pats and bobble caps are common in April, when athletes blow into their hands to stay warm on the pitch. Only the occasional cool breeze served as a reminder that spring was still in its early stages as fans strolled around Hampshire’s picturesque concrete bowl in shorts and shirt sleeves while children played tennis balls on the concourse on the first day of the season. As Hampshire started their first season under the sponsorship of the Indian conglomerate GMR Group, there was a buzz of excitement surrounding the stadium and an official attendance of 2,148.
Kyle Abbott, who is playing his seventh season of Championship cricket for Hampshire, maintains a reassuringly familiar metronomic style despite any changes in the management. After switching to round the wicket, he was quickly probing away around off stump and defeating Lyth in the seventh over with a lbw appeal. When Fin Bean drove weakly to backward point, Brett Hampton, the New Zealand all-rounder who was brought in on short notice after Jack Edwards had to cancel his overseas assignment due to injury, took a wicket with his fifth ball. Before Bairstow gave Baker his maiden Championship wicket, James Wharton edged to the slip cordon in an attempt to drive Wheal down the ground.
as lunch, Yorkshire lost 4 for 2 as Liam Dawson turned one past Will Luxton’s cautious forward defensive to remove the off bail, but they fell like a stock exchange in the face of Donald Trump’s tariffs after Malan’s poor tip-and-run to cover left them five down at lunch. The final five wickets were taken in a total of 27 balls. Bairstow and Yorkshire will then have to hope that the only way forward is up.
India
