Lancashire will have to battle hard on the final day of the Roses clash at Headingley after a strong bowling performance brought the visitors back into contention against Yorkshire.
Neil Wagner claimed another four wickets (4-71) in Yorkshire's second innings of 236, helping the visitors to take three wickets for eight runs at the start of the day, as Lancashire were eventually set 349 to achieve an unlikely fourth win in the Specsavers County Championship to retain their place at the top of the table.
The visitors reached 41/1 in 23 overs, before bad light brought play to a premature conclusion, with Haseeb Hameed (16*) and Luke Procter (6*) fighting hard to resist the imposing Yorkshire seam attack in threatening overcast conditions, with the floodlights in operation for most of the third day.
After being bowled out cheaply for 196 in their first innings, the Red Rose surrendered a lead of 112 runs, but a strong morning session with the ball saw Lancashire restrict their hosts to 89/6, with Wagner finishing the match with eight wickets. Lancashire's bowling forces were depleted, owing to the fact that Tom Bailey had picked up a side strain, one that will keep him out of action for the next two months.
Adil Rashid (34), who made a vital 88 in Yorkshire's first innings to help the home side recover, played another key knock for the Tykes, adding 41 runs with Tim Bresnan (29) and 74 runs with Liam Plunkett (57), as Lancashire were made to chase the largest total of the match.
On a cold and overcast day, the task for any batsmen was an unenviable one. Prodigious swing and poor light offered hope to Lancashire's seamers, who were able to make significant early inroads despite the absence of Bailey. Returning to the crease on 44 not out, Adam Lyth hit the first ball of the day for four, but the next ball he was then bowled behind his legs by Wagner, who sent the Yorkshire opener's leg-stump flying at 81/4.
Tom Smith (2-20) continued his superb spell with the ball from yesterday, striking in his third over of the day to force nightwatchman Steven Patterson (1) into a thin edge behind to Steven Croft, as both of Yorkshire's overnight batsmen returned to the pavilion in quick succession. Six balls later, Wagner's aggressive bouncer had Yorkshire captain Andrew Gale (7) caught at short-leg by Hameed, leaving his side in trouble at 89/6.
With Yorkshire only managing to extend their lead to 201 by this stage, further wickets would have brought Lancashire back into the frame of being able to win the game comfortably, but another determined innings by Rashid led the home side to a much more imposing score. Initially supported by Bresnan, Rashid backed up his half-century in the first innings with a very gritty innings, withstanding Wagner's aggression and the atmospheric assistance on offer for Smith and a wicketless Kyle Jarvis.
Luke Procter was brought into the attack for the first time in the match and after making an economical start, he forced Bresnan to edge to Liam Livingstone at first slip, with Bresnan showing degree of frustration at his dismissal, suggesting the ball had not carried to the slip fielder. While Rashid continued to play a much more sensible hand, Plunkett accumulated runs in his usual manner, dispatching anything on a length down the ground to help boost Yorkshire's lead into a dangerous territory.
Starting the afternoon session on 154/7, Rashid and Plunkett were able to add 50 runs in 76 balls for the seventh wicket, a partnership that became increasingly frustrating from Lancashire's point of view, after they had taken three wickets for eight runs in the morning session. Another bowling change reaped success for the Red Rose, with Croft taking a good diving catch off Simon Kerrigan to account for Rashid (34) at 204/8, after he and Plunkett had added 74 runs in 23 overs.
Plunkett (57) continued to play his naturally aggressive game, an approach that proved very effective for Yorkshire, with his seventh boundary guiding him to an 80-ball fifty. The allrounder smashed Kerrigan (2-36) down the ground for six the ball after reaching his half-century, but the next ball he failed to connect with another slog and was caught well at deep extra cover by Alviro Petersen.
Procter brought the innings to a close when he comprehensively bowled Jack Brooks for five, finishing with figures of 2-30, as Yorkshire were bowled out for 236, setting Lancashire a sizeable target of 349 runs. Conditions continued to make bowling friendly for the seamers, particularly with the new ball, forcing Smith and Hameed to navigate a tricky spell at the start of Lancashire's run chase.
Having survived this difficult patch to reach tea at 21/0, Smith then gifted his wicket in tame circumstances, driving Patterson (1-18) to Jack Leaning at short cover, as he fell for 15 not long after the interval. Hameed (16*) and Procter (6*) then battled hard in the testing conditions, before the umpires came together and decided that the light was too bad to continue playing.
Closing on 41/1, Lancashire will have to bat long and hard to survive a testing Yorkshire attack on the final day, with the White Rose hoping to take Lancashire's remaining nine wickets to claim back-to-back Roses victories.
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