Yorkshire worry over Morkel injury

8:08pm Sunday 4th May 2008

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"A patchy performance" - that's how Yorkshire director of cricket Martyn Moxon described the LV County Championship draw with Nottinghamshire at Headingley yesyerday after some timely resilience from the tail dragged the home side over the line with Notts pressing for an unlikely last-gasp victory.

"We did a lot of hard work but didn't really capitalise when we should have done," said Moxon.

"We seemed to keep letting Notts back into the game. We've got to give them credit for the way they bowled but too many of our dismissals were of our own making.

"It wasn't easy batting in the first innings; at the end of the day though we've come out with a draw and at least we've avoided defeat".

That looked a real possibility in the final hour as Yorkshire found themselves batting to save the match with Tim Bresnan and skipper Darren Gough marshalling the home side through the dying embers of the game thanks to an unbeaten stand of half-an-hour that left Notts needing to bowl out the home side and knock off 44 runs with too little time left to force a result.

Earlier, after Yorkshire quickly wrapped up the Nottinghamshire first innings of 422, Michael Vaughan looked assured at the crease once more after Joe Sayers failed to make double figures for the second time in the match.

Vaughan was out just as he was finding some real momentum, playing on to Graeme Swann for 34, and after Anthony McGrath was caught behind seven short of a half-century, Jacques Rudolph completed a trio of batsmen who lost their wickets when seemingly well placed as he was dismissed for 32.

At 140 for four, a draw still looked on the cards but the loss of five wickets for just 28 runs left the match on a knife-edge before Bresnan and Gough rescued the game.

At stumps, there was concern for debutant Morne Morkel, who didn't come out to bowl after tweaking his hamstring on Friday.

It now remains to be seen whether he'll be available to face Durham in the Friends Provident Trophy tomorrow.

"We're hoping it's not as bad as first feared," said Moxon. "He turned up this morning a lot better but we're being very cautious about it - we don't want to risk anything."

With or without their overseas player, Yorkshire are on a revenge mission after their crazy defeat against the current champions at the Riverside on the first day of the season.

They came within inches of victory, only to lose by five runs.

"Whatever happens it's gonna be a big game," said Moxon. "It's one that if we can win it'll stand us in good stead for qualification but, as we know, Durham are a good side so we'll need to play to out best capabilities."