Bairstow-Bresnan share record-breaking stand

Wicket Keeper cum Batsman and All-rounder pair, Bairstow-Bresnan put English selectors in more trouble as they came together for a record breaking 7 wicket partnership of 366 runs for Yorkshire in a match against Durham.

Johnny Bairstow, who was the hero in the last ODI against the Kiwis posted the second double century of his career, scoring 219 runs and taking his tally of runs to 636 in 8 championship innings with an astonishing average of 106. His partner, Tim Bresnan remained not out at 169. Bairstow and Bresnan completed their five-hour partnership of 366 in 81 overs during the latter stages of the afternoon and Andrew Gale opted to declare. Yorkshire were struggling at 191 for 6 shortly after tea on day one before these two added 366 to the score, breaking the record and taking over from the Sussex pair Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji and Billy Newham who scored 344 runs against Essex at Leyton 1902.

The declaration from Andrew Gale came in when the pair was just 6 runs behind the second in the all-time list of Seventh wicket partnerships, with the Australian pair Mitchell Marsh and Sam Whiteman sharing 371 last year. This partnership was the highest at this ground and the best against Durham while it was Yorkshire’s fifth-highest first-class stand of all time for any wicket. The top four were all for the first wicket. Meanwhile, Yorkshire became the first team in the Championship to pass 500 in an innings this summer.

Bairstow’s previous double ton came in May 2011 at Trent Bridge. He took apart all the bowlers, smashing John Hastings for a marvelous six over the square leg which was his only six in the innings. The six was accompanied with 31 boundaries as he played only 268 balls to score 219. It was the innings which would have, no doubt, been welcome news for Trevor Bayliss as he stood over a golf putt under the Spanish sun. Bairstow’s partner, Tim Bresnan’s, 169, his career’s best, came in 256 balls which included 27 fours.  He has scored five first-class hundreds;  two of them this season.

Durham in their reply was contained to 140 for 5, requiring 268 more to avoid the follow-on. Steve Patterson had earlier struck twice, with his wickets of Mark Stoneman and Paul Collingwood, chopped on and LBW respectively, coming in successive overs either side of the tea, before Ryan Sidebottom trapped Michael Richardson in an LBW for 31 runs. Scott Borthwick and Ryan Pringle though have stitched together a 59 run partnership, but they need to go long if Durham wants to save this match.