Recalled England quick Matthew Fisher removed Test team-mates Joe Root and Harry Brook just after lunch but his former county Yorkshire enjoyed much the better of day one against Surrey at Headingley thanks to unbeaten centurions Adam Lyth and Jonny Bairstow.
Fisher – in his second season with Surrey – played the key role in reducing the White Rose to 121-4 in this star-studded County Championship fixture, only for experienced fifth-wicket pair Lyth and Bairstow to turn things around through the bulk of the afternoon and evening as inserted Yorkshire closed on 362-4.
Fisher trapped Root lbw for 44 and had Brook caught at first slip for seven as he strengthens his case to play the opening Test against New Zealand at Lord’s, starting 4 June.
He finished with 3-73 from 19 overs but was usurped by Lyth and Bairstow, who shared 241 and finished the day on 138 off 292 balls and 116 off 187 respectively.
Fisher, aged 28, played his only previous Test for England, against the West Indies at Barbados in early 2022. Some 13 years ago, he also made his county debut for Yorkshire.
He is one of four players involved in this fixture selected in England’s squad for that opening Test of the summer. Brook, Root and Surrey wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith are the others.
Surrey made a handy start as Fisher had Will Luxton caught clipping to mid-wicket before Jordan Clark bowled Matthew Revis as he attempted to leave alone, with the hosts 38-2 in the 13th over.
This was a re-jigged Yorkshire batting line-up. Luxton was in for his first match of the season for usual opener Fin Bean, while Root returned in place of James Wharton.
Ironically, shortly before lunch, Wharton – just left out by Yorkshire, was announced by the ECB in the England Lions squad for two forthcoming four-day matches against their South African counterparts.
Root worked his second ball, from the seam of Clark, off his legs for four, and he and Lyth had shared 58 by the time lunch arrived, with Yorkshire in better shape at 96-2.
Surrey will have been frustrated to see Lyth dropped on 31 by Ryan Patel at third slip off Australian Sean Abbott.
In the second over after lunch, Fisher trapped Root lbw as he played around one, and it wasn’t long before he had Brook caught at first slip having shimmied down the pitch looking to drive. That left Yorkshire at 121-4 in the 38th over.
Lyth was typically strong on the drive and reached his fifty off 124 balls shortly afterwards.
By that time he was in partnership with captain Bairstow, who later pulled Abbott for six into the Western Terrace en-route to an 89-ball fifty – his first of the summer.
That Surrey ended the afternoon with Ryan Patel and Dan Lawrence bowling indicated that Yorkshire were wrestling the initiative away from their visitors in good batting conditions.
Lyth, with two previous summer fifties to his name, had moved into the nineties by the time Yorkshire reached 250-4 in the early stages of the evening.
And they were 275-4 when he brought up his 41st first-class century off 220 balls.
Bairstow reached his 32nd first-class century – topping 15,000 career runs in the process – against the new ball and 10 overs from close. He got there off 160 balls with a fearsome cut off Fisher.
This was also Bairstow’s first Championship hundred since being appointed Yorkshire captain at the start of last season.
