Gibson on Northamptonshire draw – Yorkshire County Cricket Club

Ottis Gibson has been reflecting on Yorkshire’s Vitality County Championship draw against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road and praised his side’s character for their fourth day performance.

Yorkshire started the day on 156-5 in their second innings, leading by 217. They declared on 264-6 just before lunch, setting a target of 326 in a minimum of 71 overs. Shan Masood hit a superb 131 not out. 

Fourteen overs were lost to rain, and Northamptonshire were well placed at 165-2 in the 33rd over after tea.

Yorkshire needed nine wickets in the evening session and took seven, with the hosts finishing on 250-8. Opener Ricardo Vasconcelos finished on 129 not out, defying an attack led by a career best four-wicket haul from Adam Lyth.

Yorkshire, who had six overs to take the last two wickets, claimed 14 points from their fifth draw in seven matches. 

Coach Gibson said: “To get so close, with two wickets left, shows a lot of character from the lads – to put in that sort of performance in the last session.

“Of course, we did it in an unconventional way with Lythy being the main spinner and taking four wickets for us. But credit to Northants as well, because they tried to go for it and had us under some pressure before tea.

“We then came out afterwards, took some wickets and set them back. In the end, it turned out to be a good game of cricket.”

On the game as a whole and the key passages of play, the coach continued:  

“I’m frustrated because losing the toss on a green pitch and they put you in, we were 202-1 with the opportunity to make a big score and bat them out of it.

“To only make 360 was a little disappointing. 

“Then, to have them 181-7 (in the first-innings reply) with the opportunity to knock them over.

“The game hinges on key moments. 

“We had a key moment with the bat where we could have made a bigger score and a key moment with the ball struggling to take the last three wickets. 

“That’s something which has plagued us ever since I’ve been here. The last three wickets put on 100 again. 

“These are things we’ve been talking about for a while now. 

“If we fixed that side of our game, there are possibilities we could’ve won four games out of the seven and we’d be top of the log instead of somewhere in the middle.”

And asked about who impressed him in this fixture, Gibson added: “I think Rev’s bowling has gone up a notch. He bowled nicely in the first innings, and the spell he bowled to their overseas (Nair) today was top-class. To get him out was fantastic.

“All in all, Adam Lyth is having a really good season and is playing fantastically well.

“I also thought the knock Bean played in the first innings – he didn’t get a lot of runs – after they put us in on a green pitch took the sting out of it and allowed Lythy and Shan to play the way the played.”