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Zaman Akhter takes maiden five-for as Glos bowl Yorkshire out on day one

12 April 2024

Skipper Shan Masood’s 26th first class century rescued Yorkshire on the opening day of the Vitality County Championship Second Division match with Gloucestershire at the Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol.

The visitors plunged to 90 for five in the first session, losing England’s Joe Root and Harry Brook for 28 runs between them in the process. But the Pakistan Test captain stood firm and moved flawlessly to this third Yorkshire hundred off 140 balls, with 15 fours.

Masood was finally dismissed for 140. With Jonny Tattersall contributing a brisk 56 and Matt Milnes 51, Yorkshire posted 326 all out after losing the toss, Zaman Akhter claiming a career-best five for 85 from 18.3 overs. By the close, Gloucestershire had slipped to 28 for two in reply.

Mark Alleyne only had to wait until the fourth ball of the game for Gloucestershire take their first Championship wicket since his return to the club as head coach. The club’s former trophy-winning captain saw Josh Shaw clean bowl Finley Bean for a duck with a good length ball.

The delivery set the tone for an excellent pre-lunch session by the home seam attack. Adam Lyth was next to depart for seven, well caught by Cameron Bancroft diving to his right at second slip off Ajeet Singh Dale with the total on 19.

Root’s first innings on his return to domestic red ball cricket lasted just seven balls. Absent from the Championship for nearly two years, the former England Test captain had made only two when pinned lbw falling across his stumps by Akhter.

Brook got off the mark with a four driven through mid-off and looked to be settling in when pulling Akhter for six over mid-wicket.  But, having helped progress the total to 80 and his own score to 26, he badly miscued a back-foot shot off Akhter and Marchant de Lange took a running catch at mid-on.

Ten runs later, George Hill wafted at a ball from Akhter and wicketkeeper James Bracey pouched a routine chance off what proved the final ball before lunch.

The afternoon session brought a spirited Yorkshire fightback as Masood and Tattersall, who spent a brief spell with Gloucestershire in 2021, added exactly 100 for the sixth wicket.

Masood was first to 50, off 83 balls, while Tattersall required only 50 deliveries to reach his half-century, hitting 10 fours and proving merciless on anything dropped short.

It was a surprise when the partnership ended, Tattersall attempting to shoulder arms against Singh Dale and getting an inside edge onto his stumps. At 190 for six, Yorkshire required more from Masood and were given a boost when Matt Milnes was dropped by Bancroft at second slip off Akhter before he had scored.

At tea, Yorkshire were 243 for six, the unflappable Masood unbeaten on 116, having survived just one scare when almost run out on 90 by Graeme van Buuren’s direct hit at the bowler’s end after calling for a quick single to mid-on.

The 34-year-old left-hander almost departed for 127 soon after the interval when Ben Charlesworth failed to hold a sharp slip chance, Akhter again being the unlucky bowler. Masood added 13 to his score before edging a ball from de Lange, bowling around the wicket, through to Bracey.

By then Yorkshire were 285 for seven. Bancroft was at fault again, dropping Matt Fisher at second slip before he had scored off de Lange before Milnes reached a valuable 86-ball fifty. He added a single before being caught behind aiming to drive de Lange to make it 292 for eight.

Akhter picked up his fourth wicket when Ben Coad was caught at mid-off, aiming to clear the ropes. Fisher did exactly that with a brutal pull shot off de Lange before being last man out to Akhter, who fully deserved his five-wicket haul, having bowled with pace and accuracy.

Gloucestershire were left with 14 overs to bat. Chris Dent got an inside edge onto his stumps off Fisher and Ollie Price was bowled by Coad playing down the wrong line as Yorkshire finished the day on top.

DAY ONE HIGHLIGHTS

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