Handscomb Hits Debut Hundred at Headingley

By Graham Hardcastle, ECB Reporters' Network

Potential Ashes rivals Peter Handscomb and Rehan Ahmed united with the bat to lead Leicestershire’s impressive fightback against Division Two title favourites Yorkshire on day three at Headingley, leaving all results still alive. 

In the face of Yorkshire’s first-innings 517, Australian Handscomb posted a fine 112 and Ahmed worked hard to match him with 85, the pair completing a sixth-wicket partnership of 141 through until late morning as the visitors responded with a sturdy 415.

Leicestershire would have feared the worst as Yorkshire dominated the opening two days, restricting the Foxes to 251 for five at the fixture’s halfway point.

But they have shown impressive fortitude on an albeit flat pitch, thanks largely to two men who could be in opposition later this summer for their respective countries.

Their resistance forced Yorkshire to bat again from just before tea, and there was more good news as the hosts fell to 29 for three before half-centuries for James Wharton - his first in first-team cricket, West Indian debutant Shai Hope and George Hill ensured a close of play 220 for four and a lead of 322. 

Handscomb was excellent for his 112 off 201 balls, including 18 boundaries, though he could have easily been run out on 99 when Wharton shied at the non-striker’s end stumps from short cover after the Victorian had scrambled for an ill-judged single. 

Having started day three on 62, he was trapped lbw by Ben Coad 15 minutes before lunch - Yorkshire’s only wicket of the morning as the score became 328 for six.

He became only the seventh Leicestershire player to score a century on Championship debut. 

But, at the start of an Ashes summer why would we want to heap too much praise on an Australian? Let’s concentrate on 18-year-old England starlet Ahmed.

The all-rounder made an inauspicious start to this fixture, his first over of leg-spin going for 22 on day one before recovering to finish Yorkshire’s first innings with three for 89 from 15 overs.

He showed plenty of character to fight back, and that character was on show again with the bat, along with plenty of skill.

He had to navigate a spell of short-pitched bowling from Matthew Revis as Yorkshire took to Plan B in their bid for wickets, and he pulled with authority. 

One on driven boundary off Coad was particularly memorable. He found the fence 14 times in all in 121 balls.

Ahmed fell caught at first slip against Jordan Thompson to the first ball of the afternoon, the seamer also getting Michael Finan lbw two balls later as the score fell to 332 for eight.

But Chris Wright’s 66 not out with three long-off sixes all off the expensive Dom Bess - nought for 69 from 11 overs - ensured Leicestershire avoided the follow-on by reaching 368 and then cut the deficit to almost 100.

Leicestershire’s impressive day then got better when, in the first over of Yorkshire’s second innings, Adam Lyth pulled Finan to square-leg for a duck.

After tea, Fin Bean was caught behind off Wright before Dawid Malan skied a miscue to midwicket off Finan, leaving Yorkshire three down with a lead of 131.

Yorkshire would have clearly hoped for a solid start and then quick runs to set up a target as quickly as possible. But, like with the ball earlier on, they were now forced into looking at alternative plans.

That plan involved Wharton and Hope steadying and then accelerating.

Both men drove well, while classy Wharton lofted Ahmed over long-off for six shortly before reaching his fifty off 77 balls. 

Ahmed then exacted revenge pretty quickly by getting him caught and bowled for 52.

Hope - the first man to score two centuries in the same first-class match when he did it for the West Indies in the 2017 Headingley Test - ended the day swiftly moving towards another century here. He will begin day four on 83 alongside particularly aggressive Hill on 57.