Alex Lees column: I have been asked a lot of questions this week about what it is like to open the batting with Adam Lyth after we shared another big partnership against Durham.

We batted for a long time together against Northamptonshire earlier this season too and we're enjoying a good season.

We get on off the field, which always helps, and then at the crease we're quite comfortable with each other and know how each other tick. We don't talk about an awful lot when we're batting together. We go out there with the philosophy that we don't want to let anyone else bat – if we do that then the team will get a good score.

Playing-wise we are slightly different players with different builds and different stature at the crease. He sees different lengths to what I see, which means he can score off balls I can't and vice versa, and when you have a rapport with somebody and if you're relaxed at the crease then that goes quite a long way on the field.

Because we're different sizes it also helps when we're facing bowlers because they keep having to change angles and lengths and anything that disturbs bowlers has to be good for you as a batsman. They also have different plans to how they want to get myself and Adam out and that can sometimes give you some bad balls to hit.

We've batted together for a long time twice this season but there's no great secret to keeping our concentration. Cricket is a very simple game and all we try and do is face every ball and play it on its merit and tick them off one by one.

Once you get in as a batsman, you obviously then want to go on and get a big score and Adam and I have been fortunate enough to do that in our two big partnerships.

Adam has been outstanding so far this year and hopefully, now I'm starting to get into fifth gear, we'll have a few more big partnerships before the season is out.

I've felt in decent form for most of the year but sometimes you just get a ball with your name on.

The weather is better now so the wickets should also be better and bowlers will not be as fresh because they have more overs under their belt and I am hoping to capitalize on that in the coming weeks.

This week has not been all about cricket, however, and myself and a few of the lads went to watch the Grand Depart of the Tour de France.

We got into the village and saw some of the riders and the teams and it was great to see all the crowds out in Yorkshire, although I'm not sure I will be trying to emulate them any time soon.