Lehmann's salvage job

Yorkshire 255 & 357-4 Sussex 39

At last there was evidence of some Yorkshire steel yesterday, even if much of it was attributable to an Australian blade. Darren Lehmann is no stranger to rescue jobs, and Yorkshire's season thus far has had something of the look of the scrapyard to it. But this particular effort could well prove his most important to date, and might even become the springboard for a first victory of the season for the county champions.

The South Australian hammered Sussex hopes out of shape with his eighth first-class double-century and the highest individual score here, as he and Michael Lumb forged a formidable partnership. By the time he was out, after six hours at the crease, Yorkshire were on the way to setting Sussex a challenging target.

Having begun the day 137 adrift on the first innings Yorkshire wobbled at the start, losing openers Craig White and Matthew Wood cheaply, and Lehmann, their captain, emerged with 14 runs on the board. He went for broke and had one slice of luck on 17 when he was bowled off a Mark Robinson no-ball. But thereafter there was little to cheer Sussex.

They were given nochances until Lehmann had his hundred under his belt, at which point two further opportunities went begging. Both were off the valiant Kevin Innes, one an inadvertent inside edge with the wicketkeeper Matthew Prior standing up and therefore helpless to even attempt a catch, the other when Lehmann had moved his score on by two runs to 125 when an edge flew to – but sadly for Sussex, through – Tim Ambrose at slip.

Lehmann reached 200 with a pulled four off Robin Martin-Jenkins, who had just been handed the new ball. And all this while Lumb was compiling a well-tempered innings of his own, and his highest score of the season. Sussex will need a will of iron today if they are to salvage anything.