Yorkshire duo show how it needs to be done

Both Adam Lyth and Alex Lees finished day two with unbeaten centuries having combined in an unbroken first wicket partnership of 237.

That enabled the visitors to turn a first innings deficit of 115 into a 122 advantage and it was the way in which the pair applied themselves that impressed Ripley.

He said: “We weren’t quite as good with the new ball as we had been on the first day but we fought really hard against two guys who showed how to bat in this cricket.

“Their attitude was that they were just going to bat. There’s plenty of time left in the game and they were just going to take their time.

“That’s something that we haven’t been doing.

“We’ve got lads with plenty of first-class hundreds to their name but that kind of application is what we’ve been missing.”

But while his charges had garnered scant reward for their stint in the field, Ripley was pleased with the commitment shown.

He continued: “We didn’t just wilt and that’s a positive for us, we made them fight hard for their runs.

“We stuck to our task and our discipline with the ball was better than it has been so that was good to see.”

As for tomorrow, with a new ball due after a handful of overs, Ripley is aware that their is a move that will need to be made.

“The new ball will be crucial and we’ll try to get in amongst them,” he said.

“We still feel tnat we’ve got a chance of winning the game but if that isn’t going to heppen then we need to fight as hard as we can and make them take a long time to get their runs.

“The less time we have to bat, the better from our point of view.”