Leicestershire 354 (Mike 90, Scriven 56, Milnes 4-73) and 26 for 0 drew with Yorkshire 264 for 6 (Brook 100*, Lyth 101)
Brook arrived at the crease four balls into day four of this weather-ravaged Division Two fixture, overnight rain and a wet outfield once again delaying the start of play.
Yorkshire resumed, at 1.35pm, on 72 for 2 in their first-innings reply to Leicestershire’s 354. George Hill fell caught off a miscue in the day’s opening over, paving the way for Brook to come in and royally entertain the hardy 178 spectators who had waited patiently for play.
He smashed 14 fours and two sixes in 69 balls, Yorkshire declaring immediately on 264 for 6 just before tea in order to improve a slow over-rate from the first innings.
They did this successfully as spinners Dan Moriarty and Lyth raced through 7.2 overs before the rain arrived at 4pm with Leicestershire on 26 without loss in their second innings. No more play was possible, with Yorkshire taking 12 points and Leicestershire 13.
Pacy Ben Mike impressed with 4 for 44 for the Foxes.
Brook’s last competitive innings was for England against West Indies in a pre-Christmas T20 in Trinidad and Tobago. The 25-year-old was due to tour India with England’s Test team at the start of the year and also play for Delhi Capitals in the ongoing Indian Premier League.
But he withdrew from both assignments, with his grandmother Pauline passing away. Brook preferred to play his cricket with Yorkshire so he could be around his grieving family.
He will play the opening five Championship matches of the summer before turning his attentions to preparations for June’s T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and USA.
Brook did play in a friendly against Durham at Headingley on Easter Sunday and smashed 74 off 42 balls. And this innings was played in the same manner.
He drove his second ball, from seamer Matt Salisbury, for four straight down the ground and was particularly strong in that region, be it with precision or power. He also pulled seamer Scott Currie for six, off the front foot, over deep square leg twice in as many balls en route to a 35-ball fifty.
By this time, Lyth had reached his own half-century, off 59 balls, and he was first to a century. As he always is, the 36-year-old left-hander was particularly strong on the drive, and he also pulled Rehan Ahmed’s legspin over midwicket for his second six on the way to a 98-ball ton.
Lyth fell caught at deep cover off Tom Scriven’s seam two balls later, with the score 201 for 4.
Leicestershire played some excellent cricket during the first couple of days, both with bat and ball. And they started day four well when Salisbury forced Hill into a miscued drive to mid-off four balls into the day. But they had no answer to Brook’s brilliance. From quite early in his innings, a century almost felt inevitable.
England spinner Rehan was amongst the Foxes bowlers taken to task – conceding 43 runs from five overs – though they did have success at the other end from Brook through ex-Yorkshire allrounder Mike. He had claimed the first two wickets on the second day and returned to trap both Jonny Tattersall and Jordan Thompson lbw cheaply as the score became 254 for 6 late in the afternoon.
This was also Brook’s first appearance of any kind for Yorkshire since July 2022, and he reached his 12th first-class century off 69 balls immediately before the declaration.
Leicestershire’s second innings then started with the rare sight of two spinners running back to their marks in between in each ball.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo