Lees fortifies Yorkshire’s hat-trick hopes

Yorkshire 341 for 5 (Lees 132, Ballance 71, Lehmann 58) v Durham Scorecard

Do it for Dizzy is not yet emblazoned across Headingley, but it seems an appropriate exhortation as the Championship season reaches its climax. Jason Gillespie is heading back to Australia at the end of the season and Yorkshire would love nothing better than to send him on his way with a hat-trick of Championship titles. He has become as popular as a coach as his fellow Australian, and good mate, Darren Lehmann was as a player and that is an achievement indeed.

With three games remaining, Middlesex ahead by four points, and a potential winner-takes all finale between the two sides at Lord’s, Yorkshire’s minimal task is to match them over the next two games if that third title is to come to pass. Alex Lees sustained them during a tricky opening day against Durham with a season’s best 132, passing 1000 first-class runs in the process. Yorkshire’s 341 for 5 was a decent return against a Durham side that nevertheless looked over-reliant on its opening attack of Graham Onions and Chris Rushworth.

Lees’ reputation as an England opener-in-waiting weakened during an unsuccessful 2015 so here was another innings that suggested his career is back on track. He believes the experience has made his game tougher and given him “nuggets of information” that will help him through when the bad times return.

“Everybody has down times,” he said, and to illustrate that fact he only had to look 22 yards away for the first half of the day as he shared an assertive second-wicket stand of 163 in 43 overs with Gary Ballance, one which scotched Durham’s hopes of making use of favourable bowling conditions. He finally fell driving a low full toss back to the offspinner Ryan Pringle.

Lees retains his admirers, but as much as his wish to transfer pressure back to the bowlers is in keeping with the current crop of young openers, there have been too many ungainly moments, and rushes of blood, along the way to be mentioned in England despatches just yet. It is across the Pennines where England’s attention now resides with strong …

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