Mike Stars With Bat And Ball On Headingley Return

This was another weather-shortened day of this Vitality County Championship opener, play only starting at 1.40pm due to a wet outfield - two hours earlier than day one.

Yorkshire held sway overnight with the visitors at 164 for five, and three wickets inside the first 75 minutes strengthened their position. Seamer Matt Milnes claimed two of them on the way to four for 73.

However, all-rounder Mike impressively led the revival from 215 for eight, sharing a record ninth-wicket stand of 119 either side of tea with tail-ender Tom Scriven, who contributed a valuable 56.

Mike then struck twice in his first two overs with the ball as Yorkshire replied with 72 for two from 18 overs at close.

Mike, who hit four sixes in 113 balls, left Yorkshire in November, one year into a three-year deal. He returned to Uptonsteel County Ground in search of greater opportunity in this competition. 

Home supporters will, therefore, have fully expected sod’s law to kick in, and it did as Mike played superbly. He was aggressive but selective with it from number nine in the order, arriving at the crease at 177 for seven.   

He slog-swept and pulled three leg-side sixes en-route to a 56-ball fifty, taking on the left-arm spin of Dan Moriarty and the seam of fellow all-rounder George Hill. He later pulled Milnes for another as a century came into view. 

Mike was ably supported by Scriven, the pair recording Leicestershire’s highest ever ninth-wicket partnership in first-class fixtures, beating a record which stood for 85 years.

Yorkshire’s day had started well. Milnes had both Australian overseas batter Peter Handscomb, for 26, and night-watchman Scott Currie caught behind as the score slipped to 177 for seven inside the first six overs of play. Both were playing loosely outside off-stump. 

Matthew Fisher later cartwheeled Ben Cox’s off-stump for 32, leaving the Foxes in danger of not reaching 250. But Mike was followed to a fifty by Scriven, who got there off 71 balls. By that time, the visitors were far, far happier at 327 for eight.

Seven more runs had been added when Ben Coad, bowling with the new ball, trapped Scriven lbw, only for Mike to ensure a third batting point for reaching 350. The innings was wrapped up when Milnes had Mike caught superbly at deep cover by Fisher, leaving Yorkshire with almost an hour-and-a-half’s batting to do before close.

And it wasn’t entirely straight-forward as Mike had Fin Bean caught behind with his third ball and captain Shan Masood caught at second slip playing loosely - the latter for a duck - as the score slipped to 47 for two in the 13th over.

But Adam Lyth played fluently for 43 not out, the ex-England opener reaching 12,000 Championship career runs on the way. Bad light stopped play four overs early.