Worcestershire Assistant Head Coach Kadeer Ali admitted his side endured a frustrating first day in their Rothesay County Championship clash against Yorkshire at Headingley, after the hosts posted 425 for 8 despite the visitors electing to bowl first on a green-tinged surface.
Reflecting on the opening day, Kadeer said: “It was a little bit disappointing, especially after winning the toss. As a bowling group, we didn’t quite get our lengths right early on. We were probably a bit too short to begin with, and then overcompensated by going too full when we tried to swing it. At Headingley, if you miss your length, you get punished, and that’s exactly what happened.”
Worcestershire did, however, enjoy spells of control, particularly during the morning session after a wayward start.
“Once we settled, I thought Ben Allison and Tom Taylor bowled really nicely in partnership,” he said. “That helped us wrestle back some control and showed the decision to bowl first was the right one, we just didn’t quite execute consistently enough throughout the day.”
Despite losing wickets at regular intervals, Yorkshire’s deep batting lineup and periods of counterattack prevented Worcestershire from fully capitalising on those spells.
“We’d build some pressure and then let it slip – whether that was through a loose over or a partnership getting away from us. At this level, especially against a high-quality Division One batting lineup, you get punished for that,” said Kadeer. “That’s a big learning for us.”
One of the most frustrating moments came in the final session, with Yorkshire recovering from 364 for 8 to close on 425 for 8 thanks to a rapid unbeaten 65-run stand between Jordan Thompson (48*) and Ben Coad (22*).
“At 364 for 8, we were thinking if we could bowl them out for under 400, it wouldn’t be the worst day,” Kadeer reflected. “But full credit to Thompson, he came out, played positively, and put us under pressure again right at the end.”
Kadeer was quick to praise Yorkshire’s experienced and emerging batting talent, highlighting the quality of both their senior internationals and rising stars.
“They’ve got players like Adam Lyth and Dawid Malan, we know their quality. Malan played really well today. But it was also impressive from the younger lads like James Wharton and George Hill. Wharton’s coming off a double hundred recently, so there’s real depth there.”
Despite the challenges, Kadeer remained positive about the character and growth of his young squad, “We’ve got a young side and they’re learning fast. We’ve seen the fight these boys have shown over the last couple of years, and I’ve no doubt they’ll bounce back. There’s plenty of cricket left in this game – we’ll look to finish the job off early tomorrow and then focus on building with the bat.”
One of the standout performers for Worcestershire was Matthew Waite, who returned to his former home ground and produced an economical and disciplined spell.
“He was superb,” Kadeer said. “I think he started with five maidens. His length was spot on all day. We’ve seen over the last few years what a quality all-rounder he is, and he just keeps getting better.”
New overseas signing Jacob Duffy also picked up three wickets on his Championship debut, showing glimpses of his potential after only recently arriving in the country.
“He’s had a long flight from New Zealand, has barely been in the country two days, and he’s played mostly white-ball cricket recently,” said Kadeer. “It was a good workout for him, he’ll be better for it. He still picked up some really important wickets for us, and there’s a lot more to come.”
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