Rana rollercoaster sees Tykes tie

10:37pm Thursday 21st August 2008

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Rana Naved went from hero to villain and almost back again after a rollercoaster performance from the Pakistani saw Yorkshire tie against the Derbyshire Phantoms at The County Ground tonight.

The Carnegie’s overseas star turned in a display with bat and ball that swung viciously between the sublime and the ridiculous in the most dramatic of contests.

Yorkshire were put into bat after losing the toss but Rana put Yorkshire in control with a brutal 74 from 58 balls.

He clubbed the Phantoms attack for four maximums in an action-packed innings that saw him dropped twice from relatively routine opportunities.

Naved was given similar treatment with the ball, going for a mammoth 62 runs in his seven overs, 13 of which came in one over.

That allowed the Phantoms to close in on an unlikely victory before the Pakistani then excelled at the death to ensure a tie at least.

At that stage, the hosts were massive favourites requiring just five from the final five deliveries, but needed a scampered single from the last ball of the match to seal the draw. Earlier after a slow start, Rana’s innings sprung into life when he was dropped on 11 by Ian Hunter.

The overseas star had rather aimlessly chipped the ball up to wide mid-on but Hunter took his eyes off the simple chance and let the ball slip through his fingers.

Rana responded to launch Nayan Doshi into the stands twice in the next over, making his way to 42 before he was dropped again at wide mid-on. This time Graham Wagh’s usually glue-like hands couldn’t make the ball stick.

Greg Smith finally held on to remove Rana as he looked to thump another maximum over long-off, Carnegie looking comfortable on 178 for four.

Jacques Rudolph also weighed in with an excellent half-century before late wickets slowed the charge.

The visitors made their way to 213 for seven from their 34 overs in a game shortened by early rain.

In reply, the hosts needed exactly seven an over from the final 19 but that never looked on when Adil Rashid came into the attack to frustrate an already fragile looking Phantoms side.

The visitors dropped three good chances late on, struggling to see the ball in the gloom.

It proved costly when Dan Redfern’s heroic half-century dragged them back into the game.

He put on an unbroken 85 with partner Tom New, who made 28 not out himself, to salvage something from a match that looked as if it was going the White Rose county’s way.

Before the game it was announced that Yorkshire have released spinner Mark Lawson.