Despite Yorkshire's batsman providing frustrating resistance in the final session of the day, Nottinghamshire’s Bowling Coach was full of praise for the efforts of his bowling unit this season.

Andy Pick admitted there was not much more that his attack could have done as Yorkshire built on their first innings advantage after tea.

“There’s not a great deal happening out there,” he said. “One thing I couldn’t fault was the boys effort. I think they scored something like 70-odd from 32 overs in the last session. We’d talked about tying the runs up and hopefully that would bring a breakthrough but we didn’t get one and those two guys have played well.

“Gary Ballance has played pretty well, there was an interesting lbw shout against him from his first ball that we’ve had a look at but he played really, really well after then and we need some breakthroughs in the morning.”

After a clatter of wickets over the first day and a half, things suddenly got much tougher under the Headingley sunshine.

“We’ve seen how the weather has been for the last two weeks, then we’ve come here and we’ve had the first sunshine that the pitch has seen for a while. Now it’s flattened out as the day went on and it’s got easier for the batsmen.”

Pick calls his band of bowlers his ‘Cartel’ and was delighted that they have all e been amongst the Yorkshire wickets, as they were against the Red Rose last week.

“They are bowling well and they are in a good place,” he reflected. “They’ve all worked hard this winter, on different bits and bobs and got themselves in a good place in the start of the season.

"Fletch was ready to go just after Christmas I reckon. They are all bowling a lot of balls in the right area and they keep challenging batters at this time of year. You’ve got to make them play and we’ve done that.”

Disappointingly, captain Steven Mullaney has been unable to bowl in this match, after picking up a side strain.

“He’s somebody who has come on in situations like that in the past and made a breakthrough,” said Pick. “So obviously it’s disappointing that he wasn’t available to be used.”

The Coach wouldn’t put a number on how many Notts would be comfortable in chasing, when their second innings does begin.

“As few as possible. All we can ask for is that they try as hard as they did in that last session. If we can pick up a couple of wickets early on tomorrow then there’s a new ball coming.

"We want it to be as few as possible and whatever they leave us we’ll try our best to get them.”

*************

Notts Outlaws begin their T20 Blast title defence at Trent Bridge on 4 July against Birmingham Bears. Tickets are £10 in advance – book now and save money…