Tykes emerge safe from Harm

Jul 12 2009 by Stuart Rayner, Sunday Sun

It took all of five balls for Harmison to get his first wicket of the day – McGrath caught at third slip when one reared up at him. The other overnight batsman, Sayers, did not last much longer before turning the ball to Mark Stoneman at short leg.

Adam Lyth’s wild cut shot gifted Harmison another and if Andrew Gale had not avoided a brute of a ball so well, he would have had a fourth before taking his sweater.

In the end it had to wait until the new ball, Rana Naved ending a dangerous cameo by pulling the first delivery with it straight down the throat of Stoneman at midwicket.

Sometimes when Harmison is on top of his form, it can look like two different matches – one when he is bowling and one when he isn’t.

While he was taking a breather in the outfield, the threat was minimal.

Survival looked relatively straight- forward, even if run-scoring was not. It was a different story after lunch as both became easy. Gale dropped anchor, taking nearly four hours to reach 50, and allowed the all-rounders to have some fun.

Rana and Shahzad hit the only sixes of the match so far and after tea even Gale opened his shoulders, maybe trying to make the most of Phil Mustard’s missed stumping chance when he was on 66.

Ian Blackwell conceded all three big sixes but it was Mitch Claydon who took most stick during a two-over spell when Adil Rashid took him to the cleaners and the Tykes sped past Durham’s poor first-innings total.

They started taking the mickey when Gordon Muchall was moved out of first slip and Gale guided the next ball into the hole he had left to bring up the 300.

Bresnan pulled fearlessly but no one got after Harmison and when he got one to leave the Yorkshireman it brought up his third five-fer of the season.

Having seen Shahzad blast a maximum off Blackwell, Gale tried a big shot of his own and was bowled driving. Hoggard was certainly not going to repeat the left-hander’s vigil.

It left the Riversiders with an awkward 13 overs to negotiate and they were unable to get through it unscathed.

Stoneman and Michael Di Venuto kept out the new-ball bowlers but McGrath wasted no time getting Rashid into the attack.

Just four overs had gone when the leg-spinner was thrown the ball on a surface which took spin from the first session of the first day.

It was easy to see why when he turned one out of a footmark and bowled Stoneman for 12.